


Heartsound

by HereLiesBethBoland



Category: Good Girls (TV)
Genre: Canon divergence post the Dubby, F/M, Friendship, Romance, Sexual Content, Sexual Tension, Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-20
Updated: 2019-08-22
Packaged: 2020-01-20 18:24:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 30,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18530608
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HereLiesBethBoland/pseuds/HereLiesBethBoland
Summary: Rio doesn't say much, maybe Beth can learn to listen in a different way. And hopefully she will realize that Gangfriend is her ticket to freedom in more ways than one. :)Rating may change to maturetakes place after 2 x 07





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my take on what happened after 2 x 07. I really wanted Brio to have a conversation but you know how stubborn they are…:) These two truly do have such a unique and beautiful dynamic. I love watching them grow in intimacy and trust. The slow process makes it feel authentic (on the show, I mean); they both have walls up and for good reason. Another thing I love about Beth and Rio is that they have alot in common personality wise, despite being from different worlds. I want to explore that. I also love writing about their walls starting to tumble, however I am a newbie to writing and so please bear with me as I get better with developing plot.
> 
>  
> 
> This will be multichapter.. will update tomorrow or the next day. :)
> 
> I do not own these characters. Thank you NBC and Jenna Bans <3

Beth sat lotus style on the bed and stared at the envelope lying in front of her. She had been at this for a couple hours now. The house was asleep; Jane snug as a bug, dubby tucked possessively under her chin.

 

She studied the unique scrawl of her name that was distinctly his. She looked over at the clock; it was getting late. Reaching for the bottle on her nightstand, she poured herself another drink. She revelled at the feel of the warm liquid pouring down her throat. She had gotten pretty good at ignoring the thought of him which presented itself  every time she took a drink. Having come to associate this particular spirit with him, she found she couldn’t mindlessly enjoy it anymore. Tonight though, she allowed the comfort of her imagination, too overcome with wonder to push it away. She let the memory of his fingers trailing her face wash over her.

 

She glanced down at the envelope again and then over to the burner phone she fortunately still had in her possession. Her fingers itched with the need to reach out to him.

 

Beth knew that her and Rio were not big on communication. She knew how much went unsaid between them in every interaction they had. And that was slightly frustrating but at the same time, she wasn't even sure how to talk to him anyway. Tonight though, she really wanted to thank him. Parent to parent. Like she does with Ruby, when she shows up for her in a way only a close friend would.

 

It was puzzling to say the least; that he would do this for her. After their encounter in the bathroom, the heated gazes and innuendos that followed, and then the intimate hug she witnessed him sharing with another woman, Beth didn’t know what to think. So she tried to just stick to business and _not think_ about anything else…

 

Of course, as soon as she pulled that damn dubby out of the envelope, her brain went immediately into hyperdrive thinking about what this could mean. Why would he do this? Especially after the harsh monologue he had delivered the day before? She had no idea and she was tired. Tired of trying to decipher Rio and his grand gestures. Maybe she could just accept them without having to understand why he did them. Their partnership was what it was, and she wasn’t even sure she was  ready to inquire into anything beyond that. Maybe if she thanked him, this restless feeling would go away.

 

Beth picked up the burner phone and rubbed her thumb lightly over it, pulling up his name and hovering over the keyboard. What should she say? Thank you? That seemed so insufficient. She knew what she wanted to say, though she was hesitant to reveal too much of herself.  The feelings she was having towards this man as a result of the returned dubby, were nothing short of affectionate; making it hard for her to stay true to the cold indifference she had been presenting him with the last few weeks.

 

She sighed and ran her fingers fondly over the ‘Rlizabrth’ and made up her mind. She figured it was liquid courage but she quickly decided that she didn’t care about pretense in this moment. Expressing her gratitude wasn’t a risk compared to what he had done. Her brain pinged in disagreement at that thought but she chose to ignore it.

 

_This is one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me. Thank you._

 

Her heart raced as she stared at the sent text. She put her phone down and got up. Her arms and legs felt weightless as she began getting ready for bed. _It's just a thank you. A normal human thing to do._ She went about her routine, trying to calm her nerves as best she could. There was something about this acknowledgment, and reaching out to him that just felt intimate. It was making her anxious.

 

It felt like hours later by the time he responded, but had only been five minutes according to the time stamp. Beth resumed her postition on the bed and opened up the text.

 

_Its nothin  just keep your distance from these guys next time, cool?_

 

_I will. That was not fun._

 

_Dudes are the bottom of the barrel. Cockroaches._

 

_Lesson learned._

 

Beth jumped as the phone’s ringer chimed out loudly. She pressed ‘answer’

 

“Better to talk than text.”

 

“Oh. Sorry...I,”

 

“Its cool,  I was just wondering something.”

 

“What?”

 

“Why your kids were in the drop off car with you.”

 

Beth was silent for a few seconds. A small tide of indignation rising up when she remembered the reason for having to drop off the car that night instead of the following morning. She tamped it down and answered evenly.

 

“I needed to drop the car off and I couldn’t leave them home alone, so I took them with me.” she replied as confidently as possible but felt beyond stupid admitting to what she did.

 

“Car man not cooperating?”

 

“He has been. He just reached his limit that night I guess.”

 

“Huh. you want me to talk to him?”

 

Beth huffed out a laugh at that and rolled her eyes. “I can handle Dean. It won’t happen again.”

 

“How do you know?”

 

“Well considering he lost our child in the hall closet, he will have his tail between his legs for awhile.”  

 

“Dumbass,” he mumbled quietly, but Beth heard it.

 

“Hey,” she said softly. “He is still my husband.”

 

“Yeah? How’s that workin’ out?”  She could hear frustration in his voice as he spit out the words and her head was trying to play catch up. The conversation had definitely taken an unexpected turn. Rio didn’t make it a habit to inquire about her marriage. She was a bit taken aback.

 

“What..what do you mean? I am saying he is my husband and as asinine as his behavior is, I have to honor that.”

 

“Oh baby, I think that ship has sailed.”

 

“Don’t.”

 

“Don’t what.” and it was a statement rather than a question. Rio had his own rules for communicating and it irritated Beth to no end.

 

“I think we have talked enough for tonight,” business voice on, she continued, “I really do appreciate what you did for us even though I  don’t understand why you would do it. Its fine. I don’t need to know.” She was rambling now.. The bourbon had taken hold of her brain and heart mushing them together like play-doh.

 

“You don’t?”

 

“Stop asking me questions! Am I being interviewed?” she asked indignantly.

 

Rio just softly chuckled. “Nah, I was just curious is all.”

 

“You’re curious about my marriage?”

 

There was silence then. For a beat. two.

 

Beth sighed. She could hear him breathing. She knew she shouldn’t have had that last drink and started all of..this. Whatever this was. One one hand, she did want to actually _talk_ to Rio but she wasn’t ready for it to turn towards her with a glaring light on all her shortcomings.

 

“I have to go.” She said tiredly. “I'll see you tomorrow for the drop. Thanks again.” Click.

 

She threw her phone on the floor and flopped down onto her pillows. She squeezed her eyes tightly and blew out a slow, cleansing breath.

 

As it always did after talking to him, her mind started replaying the conversation. She felt like Jessica Fletcher, trying to decode each word he had spoken to her. Just what was his angle? She pictured his eyes hot and black like fine dark roast and his smile that could somehow  be menacing and boyish at the same time. It was just too much to think a person with all of _that_ going for them, plus intelligence, savvy, and confidence, would focus their attention on her. Boring Beth Boland who flubs jobs and cries too often. Yet try as she may, she could only come up with one reason that would make a man behave the way Rio behaved toward her.  It was tempting to allow herself to analyze this and just as her mind was heading down that path, a soft knock on the french doors interrupted her sleuthing.

 

For a split second she was afraid, knowing the criminals had her address. But she knew. Of course she knew who it was. She stood up and made her way to the door, buttoning a few more buttons up on her silk pajama top. She moved the curtain aside and peered out.

 

As expected, there he stood. His hands were shoved deep in his pockets and his eyebrows were raised like, _“You gonna let me in?”_

 

Beth rolled her eyes and opened the door. “What..how...how did you get here so fast?” she asked, keeping her voice low. His arrival had given her an increased need to prevent any wake-ups. Kids or..otherwise.

 

“Was here already.” He said as he stepped in, brushing right up against her chest as if the door wasn’t open wide enough. It was. Beth closed her eyes briefly at the contact.  

 

“You were here at my house?” Still confused and a little dizzy she turned to him as he made himself comfortable on the edge of her bed.

 

He took off his beanie and started emptying the contents of his hoodie pockets. She looked at the pile of cell phones and wallets he had just dumped on to the bed. Beth was staring at the contents trying to make sense of the last thirty seconds of her life. She swayed a bit and then gathered herself and came to stand in front of him. Rio had fixed his razor-sharp gaze on her and was infuriatingly silent for a few seconds.

 

“You drunk or somethin’?” He asked as he squinted his eyes and gave her a once over.

 

Beth felt that familiar wave of heat crash over her as his gaze swept up and down her body. She crossed her arms over her chest, feeling exposed, like he knew what she had been thinking about right before he knocked. Of course he didn’t, but was it written all over her face? She cleared her throat and met his gaze in what she hoped was confident assurance.

 

“No, I'm not drunk. How did you...get...all of that? She asked, gesturing to the pile.

 

“Went there and got it,” he said, face deadpanned.

 

“So they just gave it to you with the blanket?”

 

“Not exactly.” he smirked at her.

 

“Well what happened?” She asked, eyes questioning and fixed on him.

 

He just met her gaze with half-lidded eyes and bit his lip in that distracting way that he did.

 

“How did you know they had our stuff?” She prodded further, getting impatient. For a split second Beth thought he looked uncomfortable as his eyes shifted to the side then back to her.

 

“I got a track on your phone.”

 

Ah. Beth wasn’t even surprised

 

“So..?”

 

Rio rolled his eyes. “So,” he continued with a sarcastic edge, “When I checked in I saw where your phone was and I knew there was no way in hell you went back there.”

 

“You went back a second time and got all of our stuff.” She stated quietly as she looked at the pile, biting her lip. Her eyes traced back up to him and they stared at each other, the heat growing between them as it always did, lulling her into a sort of hypnosis. His slow smile brought her back to the present.

 

“What?” she asked him softly.

 

“You look like you're about to tip over.”

 

“I’m fine.”

 

He huffed out a laugh. “C’mon, sit down.”

 

She watched his right hand pat the spot next to him and noticed his knuckles were bruised and dark with new scabs. Emboldened by the alcohol and just _seeing_ his skin broken like that, Beth sat down and picked up his hand with both of hers.

 

“Your hand..”

 

“S’all good,” He said softly.

 

As she looked down at it, bruised and  hurt because of her, something inside her cracked open. Beth held his hand in hers and ran both her thumbs gently down and back up, mesmerized by the size of it and the power they wielded.

 

She felt tears begin to prick at her eyelids.

 

_He did this. For me._

 

Rio watched her movements, he seemed transfixed by her touch. Her ministrations stilled after a few moments, but she kept hold on him, resting his hand on her thigh. When he noticed a few tears falling on their joined hands, he lifted her chin and looked into her eyes.

 

“What’s wrong?” he asked, his voice quiet, gravelly.

 

Beth’s heart clenched at the warm sound of him and she searched his eyes for something, anything that would help her understand why he would do this for her. She sniffed and wiped her tears with her fingers, breaking their contact.

 

“I don’t want you getting hurt because of me,” she looked at him, her bottom lip quivering.

 

“You don’t gotta worry about me, sweetheart.”

 

He reached for her again, putting his fingers in the hair at the base of her skull and running his thumb over her lip. She watched his eyes as they scanned her face, taking in every part. He was so close and he smelled _so good._  His thumb made its way from her lip to graze across her cheekbone.

 

Overcome with emotion from the abrupt change in atmosphere, Beth closed her eyes and drew closer to him, resting her forehead against his. She whispered his name just millimeters from the softness of his lips. His head tilted slightly and he made a sound in the back of his throat that she felt more than heard, as his grip in her hair tightened.

 

The pull to close the distance between their mouths was strong; but the words unspoken between them made the millimeters feel like miles. Instead, they breathed the other’s air, while the intense need swirled around them.

 

Suddenly, in one swift movement, Rio lifted her into the space between his legs, effectively maneuvering her to face him as he moved back further onto the bed. He was graceful like a jungle cat, never breaking the impressive rhythm his body seemed to always move in accordance to. And _wow he is strong,_ she thought, as she settled against him.  He made _her_ feel graceful as he accommodated her body; her legs bent and draped over his, straddling him in a delicious and intimate pose. As close as they were, she wanted to be closer, so she locked her legs around his waist and pressed even further into him.  She tenderly grasped the back of his head and guided him to lay against her.

 

Rio sighed and  pressed his face  into her neck, arms wrapped possessively around her waist. He breathed her in, hard and steady. She hugged him close and matched his breaths with her own. The hold they had on one another…it felt like devotion.

 

The hidden truth between them  pressed against her, perhaps more insistently than his body. It begged her to listen.  As he breathed her in and held her impossibly close, she received sweet clarification and insight into his heart.

 

_Who really needs words anyway?_

 

Beth was coming to the realization that  Rio was unique, in that he spoke through action and he spoke through touch. When he did say words, they were few, and they packed a punch. Oh, she still would love to hear him say how he felt. His voice made her feel like she was simultaneously on fire and being quenched. But here, in her bedroom, on this night, he was using his own special way to express how he felt.

 

And it was enough.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry friends but the phone tracking confrontation has been pushed to chapter 3 due to reasons of softness and personal revelations... give her a break, would ya!? :-) :-) <3

They had been holding one another for at least ten minutes and it was an intense and  unfamiliar type of intimacy for Beth. Her mind was reeling and her heart was racing, yet somehow she felt divinely relaxed. They fit well together, and she couldn’t stop _acknowledging_ that inside herself over and over.

 

Rio rubbed his nose back and forth across the side of her neck, sending shivers down her spine, as she scratched her nails up and down his soft hair.

 

He groaned quietly and mumbled into her, “You smell good,” releasing another wave of goosebumps across her flesh.

 

“Thanks,” she squeaked out.

 

God she was a dork.

 

“You’re soft,” he added, as he squeezed her waist and then ran his hands lower squeezing again when he reached her backside.

 

“That’s for sure,” she said sarcastically.

 

Rio lifted his head from her neck then and looked her in the eye. “I like it.”

 

“I could kinda tell.”

 

“Oh, is that right? I thought I was bein’ subtle.”

 

“Not exactly,” she said, rolling her eyes playfully.

 

“All these curves..” he began, and her eyes followed the path of his hands which ran slowly up her legs; starting at her bent knees on either side of him, over the tops of her thighs, “so.. _soft_..” he said again like he just couldn’t believe it.  His touch continued over her hips, then made their ascent up her waist, brushing the sides of her breasts softly until sliding up the sides of her neck and holding her face in his hands.

 

“Irresistible,” he finished. Eyes settling on her’s.

 

Beth felt a wave of emotion rise up. No one had ever...she had never felt human touch like this. She let that sink in as she returned his gaze.

 

“I don’t know what to say to all of that,” she tried lamely.

 

Rio huffed out a laugh and tilted his head, hers still in his hands. She saw something close to adoration wash across his face and just as quickly as it had come, it was gone.

 

“It’s gettin’ late.” He stated, hands dropping to her waist and squeezing once.

 

Beth felt disappointment surge up into her chest. She wasn’t ready for this to end. Not yet.

 

“Stay,” she whispered.

 

His eyes left hers then, flicking over to the bedroom door.

 

“What?” Beth moved her head to catch his eye again. “Is it Dean?”

 

He let out a loud breath through his nose, looking at her again and slowly blinking. Beth felt a frantic need start to pull at her. A need to keep him there. His hand loosened at her waist and she could _feel_ the distance beginning to settle around them.

 

“I don’t understand. That didn’t stop you the last time.” And she didn’t mean to sound harsh; she wanted him to consider it. She wanted him to stay. Desperately.  

 

“Its stopping me now.”

 

And ok, she thought. Ok.

 

“Don’t pout,” he said, smile inching its way back. He pushed his pointer finger gently into her lip.

 

“I’m not. Am i?” She scrunched up her nose.

 

“You are definitely pouting.”

 

“I don’t want you to leave.”

 

“Why?” he asked, squinting at her. And Beth in her slightly inebriated state, mirrored his face and squinted back at him.

 

“Its cute when you squint,” she said, changing the subject. “It reminds me of that time in my van when you asked me “What are you doing with someone like me?” she tried for her best Rio impression.

 

“Hold up,” He leaned back on the bed resting on his hands. “First of all, you are _shady as hell_ tryin’ to change the subject. And second, that is _not_ how I sound,” he stated in mock offense.

 

“What? That _is_ how you sound. All smouldery and mysterious.” She laughed and ran her hands down his chest and stuck them in his hoodie pockets

 

“Mmm..don’t distract me,” he said as his eyes closed and he pulled her closer again.

 

Beth decided to have mercy on him. After all, he did rescue the dubby.

 

“I don’t want you to go because,” she felt the tension in her throat trying to block the truth. _It makes sense when you're here. You see me. I miss you when you walk away. You make me feel alive.._

 

“This feels good,” were the words she settled on as her head lay on his shoulder. It was at least part of the truth.

 

Rio hugged her close for a brief moment before pulling away and disentangling himself from her. She felt an immediate sense of loss and brought her knees up close, wrapping her arms around them as he stood up.

 

He stuck his battered hands in the hoodie where hers had just been, and looked at her sitting on the bed, his face soft and solemn. He leaned down and kissed her on the temple.

 

“See you soon.”

 

As he reached the doors which led to the outside world, Beth called out to him and he stopped with his hand on the knob and turned his head around to her.

 

“Why?” she asked. And she wasn’t even sure which ‘why’ she was asking, but maybe it didn’t matter because when he answered he wasn’t even sure which ‘why’ he was answering.

 

“I’ve never been very good at sharing,” he turned to smirk at her and walked out; shutting the door quietly behind him.

 

Beth sighed and stared at the door.

 

Fair enough.

 

Wait.

 

“He’s tracking my phone!” She let out a frustrated groan and fell back onto her bed.

 

She would deal with this tomorrow.

 

*************

 

She was laying on her stomach, arms folded up under her pillow. The sun was streaming in and she could hear the birds chirping. She sighed and closed her eyes as calloused fingers tickled down her bare back, tracing up and down her spine.

 

“Do you know what this is?” she hears him say. She doesn’t answer as he continues to run his fingers up and down. They get to the bottom of her neck again and he flattens his hand rubbing it softly down side to side.

 

“This is mine.” he answers for her. She opens her eyes then and meets his; gaze just as peircing as ever. Imploring her to understand the seriousness of his claim.

 

His hand stops its movements then, resting hard and heavy in the middle of her backbone. He is pressing in.

 

“I got your back, Mama.”

 

 

Beth’s hand slammed down on the shrieking alarm. She quickly flopped onto her back and replayed the dream  in order to make it stick. It made her feel warm and giddy.

 

Oh no, she thought. Why did he have to be so.. Everything? He was making it really difficult for her to maintain business as usual. When had her life become so complicated?

 

Oh. right. Last year when she robbed a grocery store.

 

She rolled her eyes and peeled herself off the bed. She tried to focus on getting ready for work and preparing her mind for the busy day ahead, but thoughts of last night were intruding every few seconds. It had just been so.. Lovely.

 

Beth thought about the dream as she stepped into the shower. She squeezed her eyes shut and braced herself as she turned it on and dialed the temperature down. Alot.

 

 

Beth walked into the kitchen after sticking post it notes on her children _like any normal working mother_ , she told herself, and saw Dean sitting at the island drinking coffee and staring at something on his laptop.

 

“I made a pot,” he said without looking at her. “And some toast if you want.”

 

“Thank you,” she said softly, reaching into the cabinet for her to-go mug. “You're up early this morning.”

 

“Yeah.” he responded dismally.

 

 _So not in the mood for this._ Beth complained inwardly. And Oh. oh wow.

 

It was at that moment that Beth made a conscious comparison to the way she felt around Dean as opposed to Rio. Her soul felt heavy and dark around Dean. obligated and unappreciated. Unseen.

 

With Rio, even when he was being tough with her, she felt _known_ in a way that she hadn’t felt since she met Ruby.

 

She sat down next to Dean and sipped her coffee, allowing herself some time to consider this new revelation. She pictured Rio, arrogant, threatening; he wasn’t perfect by any stretch of the means. But for some reason he brought out a side of Beth that was genuine and...better.

 

“What do you love about me?” She suddenly asked Dean.

 

“What?” He looked over at her, puzzled.

 

“I asked what do you love about me. You say ‘I love you Bethie’, but why?”

 

Deans face appeared utterly bamboozled by the simple question and Beth found herself becoming irritated and defeated. She rose to her feet and put her purse over her shoulder.

 

“Wow.” she said.

 

“I..Beth..I do love you, you are the mother of my children, my high school sweetheart,” he sputtered as she walked towards the front door.

 

Things were just becoming more and more clear to Beth.

 

“Ok,” she turned and smiled at him. “Have a good day, I’ll be home after 9.”

 

She could feel his eyes on her as she strode confidently down the hall and out of the door to the house of cards she had been building all these years. As she slammed the door shut she felt them fluttering down around her.

 

She smiled as she drove down the street, thinking about the man who had her back.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beth talks to the gals.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not sure how I feel about this chapter... but i keep hearing my favorite Gangfriend's voice in my head '
> 
> "You did your best." lmao

“He has WHAT on your phone?!” Annie exclaimed around a mouthful of spicy tuna roll.

  
The girls had come by the dealership for ‘sushi tuesday’ which Annie  coined a few months prior. It had been a series of wide eyes and gaping mouths at the reveal of their lost items from the drug house, and Beth didn’t suspect any less shock as the conversation continued.

 

“Had. He took it off.” Beth said rolling her eyes at her sister’s dramatics.

 

“No, dude. That is not cool. Who does he think he is?” Annie continued.

 

Ruby  just picked up a california roll in her chopsticks and popped it in her mouth as she silently considered.

 

“What do you think?” Beth asked her.

 

“I mean, it's not surprising. You turned him into the feds and he has entrusted a lot of his business to you. But it's still shady as a mother.”

 

“Its way shady. What does 50/50 even mean to him?” Annie was really on one, and Beth had tried and failed to match her level of indignance.

 

“I am going to talk to him about it tonight.” She attempted to sound assertive but it just came off tired because that’s what she was. She hoped they wouldn’t ask why she didn’t bring it up immediately to him. She had been distracted to say the least. She wasn’t about to let them know the details surrounding that.  

 

“He needs to be straight with you. Don’t settle for some vague bs this time.” Ruby said.

 

“You’re right,” Beth put her head in her hands and groaned. “I’m just.. I Don't know.. I guess i’m  just grateful to him for getting our stuff back. Its making my head cloudy.”

 

 _“Dong Fog,”_ Annie mouthed to Ruby, who rolled her eyes and reached over to stroke Beth’s head.

 

“Its ok, love. It's understandable that you are feeling off about this. But you don’t owe him anything. And it is not ok that he is keeping tabs on you, especially now that you two are 50/50.”

 

Beth sat back up and jabbed her chopsticks in and out of  her fried rice. Ruby and Annie watched as she continued to assault the rice; pieces flying out until she finally picked up a pile and stuffed it into her mouth.

 

The two looked at eachother, both sets of eyebrows crinkling.

 

“I know I don’t owe him anything I just can’t figure out what his deal is, ya know?” She said, mouth full and pieces of rice flying out. “And then there's the whole dubby thing.. Its like..who does that?!  I don’t know you guys, I am feeling just a degree short of crazy.”

 

Beth had started the day confident and ready to take charge. Her night with Rio had motivated her, knowing she has someone strong and formidable in her corner, encouraging her and pushing her to be more. And although she knew that to be true about him, she still had so many questions. When she was with him, she could _feel him_ , but as the day had progressed, the doubt started to creep in, and she wondered if she imagined the sheer intensity of his affection.

 

“Excuse me, what?” asked Annie. Her and Ruby were both staring at Beth in question.

 

  
“What?” she asked, taking in their puzzled expressions.

 

“You said ‘and then there's the whole dubby thing’. WHAT dubby thing?” Ruby asked her slowly.

 

Beth stared blankly. She couldn’t believe she forgot to tell them.

 

She put down her chopsticks and looked from one to the other. “Ok so a few days after Jane went missing,” Annie huffed her annoyance. Beth nodded in agreement and continued, “Dean hands me this package with ‘Elizabeth’ written on it.” She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. “It was Jane’s dubby.”

 

  
“Wha..,” Annie makes a choking sound as her eyes blowout wide.

 

“Oh, hell to the no..he did not...go _back there_ for that ratty dubby,” Beth peeked out of one eye to see an exaggerated look of shock on Ruby’s face.

 

“No,” Beth said, “he went there _first_ for the blanket.”

 

“WHAT?!” Ruby exclaimed.

 

“Yeah, I know. It’s…” Beth faltered. She tried not to smile as a deep blush began to heat her cheeks.

 

A teasing grin broke out on Ruby’s face and Beth just rolled her eyes.

 

“She's blushing!!” Annie pointed at her; finger inches from her face. Beth swatted it away.

 

“Shut up!” she put her face in her hands and tried to control the embarrassment that was rising up.

 

“Why are you smiling? Huh? huh?” Ruby laughed out and her and Annie were both shoving her shoulders and giggling.

 

“Because you are being stupid!” Beth huffed out slapping their hands away and barely able to contain her own laughter at the sheer absurdity of the situation.

 

“What’s so funny, ladies?”

 

All three heads swung around to the voice. Rio was leaned up against the door looking less than amused.

 

Annie stuck her tongue into the side of her mouth and looked at Beth while Ruby bit her lip, attempting to control the sassy remark she was tempted to say. Beth glared daggers at the pair, willing them to stop.

 

Rio looked at Beth, effectively ignoring the other two as usual.

 

“You’re all red,” he stated, taking her in.

 

“Yes well, Its none of your business,” she snapped at him. She barely registered  a flash of hurt cross his face before indifference settled back in.

 

“What’s none of my business?”

 

Beth suddenly felt itchy and uncomfortable. She was not prepared for him. The memory of the way he felt against her was still so fresh in her mind, and that warm feeling was starting to spread as she looked back at him.

 

She steeled herself. She was supposed to be mad about the phone tracking, so she put on her best disgruntled face.

 

“You can’t just pop in here on sushi tuesday.” she stated as she lifted her chin.

 

“Sushi tuesday?” His eyebrow quirked up.

 

Annie and Ruby were now watching the interaction like the living embodiment of the Michael Jackson popcorn meme.

 

“Yes. Sushi. Tuesday. And you are not invited. So was there something you needed, or shall we just meet as planned tonight?”

 

Rio didn’t budge from his spot leaning against the doorway.

 

He looked over at Ruby and Annie who were staring at him in amusement.

 

“Hey, uh,” Ruby began, holding up her cellphone. “Thanks for getting our stuff back.”

 

“Ya,”Annie said, her voice laced with sarcasm, “That was a real stand-up thing to do.”

 

He narrowed his eyes glancing back and forth between the two of them.

 

“No problem.”

 

“Seriously, what’s up?” Beth asked, her voice softer. He was obviously there for a reason and she suddenly felt like they were being rude to him.

 

“Just giving you a heads up that my associate is coming by here to pick up the car for delivery. He will take care of all the deliveries this week”

 

“What, why?” Beth asked, irritation pushing out her short-lived sympathy.

 

“You still get your cut. I'm just having someone else make the deliveries for a bit. You should be thanking me. Now you can be sure and make all the recitals and swim meets you need to.” He smiled toothless and  lackluster directly at her.

 

“Gee, thanks,” she spit out. “Is that all then?”

 

“Yep.” he turned and walked out.

 

“Okaaaay,” Annie drawled out theatrically, as she crossed her arms over her chest and looked at Beth.

 

“What?”

 

“Why are you so pissy?” Annie asked.

 

“Yeah I mean, that’s a good thing right?” Ruby added, “We shouldn’t be having to do the dirty work. He doesn't have to deliver cars so why should you?”

 

“He doesn't have to deliver cars because he gets his boys to do his part of the delivery process.  We,” she said gesturing wildly between the three of them, “are it. We are each other’s ‘boys’.”

 

“And?” Ruby looked at her confused

 

“And I’m saying, that I should be hiring my _own_ people to handle my part of the deliveries. Not allowing him to do it for me.”

 

“I mean, does it really matter as long as you're getting your cut?” Annie asked.

 

“Yes. It matters. It matters because it's just another way he is controlling me.” her voice had taken on a hysterical edge at this point, overwhelmed by the roller coaster of the last 24 hours. Well, 48 actually. It had been quite the week.

 

Seeing him looking so... _him..._ hadn’t helped.

 

“I am so sick of men trying to control me!” Beth slammed her hand on the desk and got up so abruptly her chair flew back and hit the window. She started pacing the office.

 

“Whoa tiger, calm down.” Ruby said, standing up and putting her hand on Beth’s forearm, trying to settle her.

 

“I think he is just reacting to our _really stupid_ decision to go in that house and ask for a baby blanket.” Ruby said evenly.

 

“Why are you taking his side all of a sudden?” Beth asked, tears in her eyes.

 

 “Honey, what is really going on?” Ruby looked her best friend in the eye, regarding her seriously. “Tell me. What is up with you?”

 

 Beth sighed and sat down on the ground; the other two followed suit.

 

“I think i like him.” She said after a few beats of silent consideration.  She looked up, wrinkling her nose in expectation of their reaction.

 

They just smiled at her.

 

Annie put her hand on Beth’s leg and said softly,

 

“Duh, dude. Duh.”

 

“Yea,” Ruby said, “I second that duh.”

 

Beth huffed out a defeated laugh. “I am so screwed you guys.”

 

“Literally and figuratively.” Annie added helpfully.

 

 “He got the dubby back.” Beth said as she played with a fray in the office carpet.

 

 “He put a tracker on your phone,” Annie reminded her.

 

 “Yeah. Do you know what is crazy though?” Beth began, “I like that he shows up and follows me around. Am I sick or something?”

 

 “No babe,” Ruby answered immediately. “It feels good to be wanted. Boy just needs some boundaries is all. Talk to him about the phone thing. And..,” She faltered a bit, looking at her best friend with concern.

 

 “What?”

 

 “Just.. watch your back. You have been lonely for awhile. I mean, we all know Dean is a selfish prick, no offense.”

 

 “None taken,” she replied with conviction.

 

 “Before you give any more of yourself to him...Rio..,” she continued, “make sure your eyes are open to what this is and that you’re not just filling a void that’s been empty for 20 years ”

 

“It hasn’t been empty. I have you guys and my kids.”

 

“I know, babe.”

 

 “Am I pathetic, you guys?”

 

“Are you kidding me?!” Annie answered her, Rio is seriously hot. And he has it bad for you. Like b-a-d. The amount of bad he has for you puts the bad in bad-boy.”

 

“What are you ever even saying?” Beth asked her looking at her confusedly.

 

 

“Look. You have him wrapped around your finger so just realize that and make the most of it, is all I’m saying.”

 

 “I don’t have him wrapped around my finger,” she scoffed. “I don’t really know why he acts the way he does towards me. And besides, I’m not gonna use him.”

 

 “That’s not what she means,” Rub supplied. “Look, If you want answers and if you want more control in this... _partnership_ , then take it. That’s it. You call the shots. Seems like that is what he’s into anyway. As much as he plays like it pisses him off, It's pretty obvious he likes you to be a boss bitch”

 

 “Ya, I mean, he gave me the title in the first place,” Beth said. “I just wish I knew what he was thinking.”

 

 

“Oh its obvious what he is thinking.” Annie said.

 

Ruby turned to Beth, both ignoring  Annie’s insinuation.

 

 

“Have you asked him?”

 

 “Not really, no.”

 

 “You could always try that.”

 

 Easier said than done, Beth thought. Once she was in the presence of Rio it was difficult not to slip into their practiced rhythm of avoidance. 

 

 “Well,” Annie rose to her feet, “I have to go to work. See you losers later. Oh, and thanks for falling in love with Gangfriend and thereby getting back my personal belongings from the crackheads”

 

 “I’m not in love,” Beth rolled her eyes.

 

 “Whatever you say, sis. Peace.”

 

 “Bye,” Ruby and Beth’s voices echoed out as the door shut behind her.

 

 “So,” Ruby began after Annie had left, “What about Dean?”

 

 Beth looked at her sadly. “Honestly? I have no idea. Our marriage flatlined so long ago.. it’s basically the walking dead right now.”

 

 “Wow, ok two horror references in one sentence. That’s not good.”

 

 “I’m afraid of how a divorce will affect the kids,” she stated honestly.

 

 “Not any worse than a horror movie marriage.”

 

 “Good point,” she laughed half-heartedly, “I hate you.”

 

 “I hate your face.”

 

Beth leaned her head on Ruby’s shoulder.

 

 

After Ruby left, Beth headed back onto the floor.  This happened to be one of their biggest promotional days of the month and she needed to be on her game and selling some cars. Pushing back thoughts of his large hands holding her face, she plastered on a smile and walked in the direction of  a young woman eyeing their best selling minivan.

  
  


Since admitting her feelings out loud something had shifted in her. She no longer had the luxury of blissful ignorance. The night before came swirling back at her live in Technicolor; the feel of his hands, the sweet confessions, and the way he had left her because _he didn’t want to share._

  


Moreover, as she began to accept the reality of what her marriage had become, the desire to protect that tenuous house of cards fizzled.

  


She had started down a path, and the only way to the other side of this shit show now, was through it.

  


Beth approached the young mother and put on her game face. For now though, it was time to make money.

  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up: 
> 
> Brio goodness.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rio thinks things about Beth and plans plans. :) I don't know this story has a mind of its own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok super long and unnecessary disclaimer because I am insecure….This chapter blew up because I am obsessed with getting into Rio’s brain. I am not a huge fan of actually reading this much head stuff so i don’t know why i wrote it hahah BUT IT NEEDS TO BE SAID apparently. Or not. Who knows. +shrugs+ 
> 
> Rio is a bit OOC in this in that he is way more chatty than canon.. So theres that. Im not sorry. Also- this chapter is more focused on his personal interactions w Beth so I need to work in more business stuff because obviously that is #1 for our guy, right? It’s coming. Not saying it will be realistic or well thought out tho so just a fair warning there. LOL
> 
> Also- I am trying really hard to keep the plot consistent and to stay true to the themes I set out to show here. If there are holes or inconsistencies (spoiler alert, there are) please bear with me as I am new to this. ALSO- I would love for any constructive criticism! It really helps me. Thanks pals!

 

The previous night...

 

Rio breathed in the cool air as he walked back to his car, pushing his trembling hands into his pockets. He was colder than he should be. And Elizabeth, she always made him feel warm; even when, no _especially when,_ he was pissed off at her, there was this ember in his chest that would just radiate. Tonight, her gentle touch had kindled the fire for a sweet moment, her whispered _“Rio”_ infusing it with oxygen.. coaxing it to burn brighter and then suddenly, he was cold.

It was getting more complicated.

 He pulled out of her neighborhood and headed towards home, anxious to get back to the comfort of his own territory. Because as much as she _felt_ like his, she wasn’t. She wasn’t his.

 But she wasn’t Car-man’s either. She didn’t need to belong to anybody and he just wanted her to _get that_.  And he really need to remind himself because he  had an overwhelming desire to claim her as his own.

But more than anything, he wanted to liberate her.

 She doesn’t know, at least he doesn’t think she knows, the depths of his affection for her. Though after the events of the last few days, she is closer to the truth than before. Up until this point, Rio had become a master at fanning the flame between them while still keeping his cards close to his chest.

 He supposed every man has his limits. Her coming _to him_ that night she thought her kid had been taken; hysterical and shining, beautiful and so frustrating, had been his. He had only considered the fallout for about thirty seconds before he headed to the drop house. The need to step up for her in that moment transcended all the boundaries he had up and the lessons he wanted her to learn.

 The need was implicitly familial.

 It’s not like he didn’t try to fight it. He had shut her down, cut her loose, given her an out, and straight up threatened her. None of those things were effective at breaking the invisible bond between them. In fact, it had only become stronger. Unfortunately, her evolving place in his world was making him vulnerable, and he hated that damn word.

 “Damn.” he said aloud to himself. He turned the radio on and cranked it up, attempting to drown out his brain.

 

Finally, he  pulled in to his garage and  an overwhelming exhaustion hit his body. He turned off the car and just sat there, too tired to move, and closed his eyes.

  _“I have a track on your phone.”_

 She hadn’t even been surprised by it. And she shouldn’t be. They all deserved his reluctance to trust them. He had put the tracker on her phone after she turned him in, just as a safeguard. Honestly, he would forget he even had it sometimes, having become so attuned to her schedule; he didn’t really need it. And then, after the night she walked up to him on her street, heart bare and open, he told himself he wouldn’t check it at all anymore. That if he was gonna teach her, he would need to put some faith in her, maybe build up some mutual trust.

But then he hadn’t heard from her in a few days. And he got worried. That happened a few times until the tracker became less about her being shady and more about him just wanting to keep her safe. And it disgusted him because he wasn’t _that guy._

Neither was he one for explaining himself. Rio did what he did to get ahead or cover himself, and he rarely made apologies. Unless he was dealing with family or close friends. And there it was again. The undeniable distinction between what he is willing to do for her and not others. His mind had made that familial connection with her, it was true. But by all accounts, he didn’t treat her like family; holding back and keeping her at an emotional distance was the wisest course of action. It was what worked. Up until now.

He knew the feeling wasn’t mutual. Her family was her kids and her girls… he doubted Dean was included in that. Maybe on the surface, but she honestly looked at the guy like he was a distant relative that had outworn his welcome.

And her passivity over it made Rio want to punch walls.

Regardless of how he felt, Elizabeth was playing house with a dumbass she despised. That was reality. And if she had plans to leave him, he wouldn't know. They don’t talk like that.

 

Rio did know, however, that she craved _him_. He could feel it in the way she touched him and see it in the way she looked at him. Her huge eyes practically swallowed him with barely contained need. That much was obvious. And of course, she had told him to stay tonight. She had offered herself to him in the bathroom a few months ago. But he wasn’t sure what it meant to her beyond lust. He barely knew what it meant to himself. This whole thing was new to him he couldn’t really identify it.. he just knew it had him on the hook. Well, maybe he had an idea of what it was, but there was no way in hell he was goin’ there. Not yet.

 For now, he would be patient. There was a lot to lose. He needed to be smart. He would try and keep her safe and continue to build her up. Maybe she would grow a spine and leave the bastard. Rio really wanted to see her set free of the Stepford lie she  had lived for so long. He wanted it deep in his gut and that was unnerving. Because there was only so much he could do to influence the situation. He hated not being in control.

 

He walked inside, flicked on the lights, and took in his surroundings; having become accustomed to feeling out the room for unwanted company. He dropped his keys into the seashell dish his little sis had made for him before she went and grew up. He would kill her if she ever married someone like Dean. Rio made a mental note to call her tomorrow and ask alot of intrusive questions about her dating life.

He unzipped his hoodie, hanging it in the hall closet, took off his shoes and lined them up straight by the front door, then made his way to the bedroom. Peeling off his shirt and pants in one fell swoop, he lay the clothing out on the leather bench at the foot of his bed to wear again tomorrow. He hoped her scent would still be there in the morning.

  _Stupid._

 

Rio got under the covers and rolled onto his belly, bringing his arms up to hug his pillow. He allowed himself to run through the upcoming day and thought about the pushback he would likely get from Elizabeth when he told her about the new plan for deliveries. It wasn’t going to be a discussion. He would tell her that’s how it was and she would have to comply. He may have big plans for he but she still needed boundaries; she was a loose cannon a lot of the time.

 The thought of her going back to that house or any of these houses, unarmed, was unsettling. She was still trying to do things her way. There wasn’t  really more than one way to do things in this line of work. You wanna be a boss? You pack heat. That’s it. She was so stubborn. It pissed him off.

 She could handle the logistics at the dealership; she was good at that. Organizing shipments, balancing books, washing cash through car sales and making it look legit. He knew she could be good at every facet of this life; but she wasn’t ready to surrender yet. She was still straddling the line between his world and her old one. He wanted her to cross over so badly his skin itched.

  
He figured it would take something significant to finally push her over. He thought handling that grocery guy would have done it, but she had cut corners again; been sloppy, and nothing had changed. Sure, she had bossed up and negotiated the 50/50 deal, but she was still compromising, and he was still making exceptions for her.

Rio was beginning to feel anxious about this situation with Elizabeth mostly because he knew that for certain people, it takes something serious happening to understand the reality of what they were in. And then to accept just _what it takes_ to stay safe and cover your ass. What you _have_ to do.

 Medieval.

 There were no new strategies to doing this. The world of crime wasn’t known for its innovation especially when it came to ‘handling people’.  There were tried and true ways of getting ahead and covering your ass. The possibility that she or someone she loved was going to get hurt before she really understood this, was increasing. And if he couldn’t stop her from confronting dangerous people she at least needed to be strapped. Damn.

 

_Elizabeth._

And just like that he saw her in his mind, spread out on her back, pajama top unbuttoned half way down, hair fanned out on his pillow. He groaned out in frustration and flipped over onto his back pushing his fingers into his eye-sockets.

What he really wanted to do was to take her. Just grab her and kiss her violently. He desperately wanted to tell her not to be afraid that he would take care of her. He wanted to break through the fog and rip the veil off her eyes; show her who she really was, who she could be. That she didn’t need her old life. That he would show her something better, authentic.

He wanted to spread her open and worship her, bow at her feet and give her everything she deserves.

 He tried to play the tape through on that scenario, imagining what would happen if he said those things to her.  Rio saw the fire in her eyes when she looked at him but he wasn’t sure if it burned for him or for what he brought out in her. Maybe it was both.. or maybe she was just trapped and he was just a door.. a passage to freedom. She would enter through him and then leave him behind. He didn’t want to be a door. He wanted to be the new place she stepped into.

She was just so unpredictable. And was she even ready for truth that heavy?

He wasn’t sure how exactly to get to her. But he was pretty good at getting what he wanted, eventually.   He tried to rest in this assurance but something was tapping at the back of his mind telling him to act. Telling him he could lose her. The emotion was recognizable but not one he was accustomed to feeling; he hadn’t felt it since Marcus was born. It was fear.

 Sudden anxiety gripped him and he grabbed his phone off the table next to him, pulled up her name, and typed out a text.

  _Kinda wish I had stayed_

 He quickly deleted the letters and tossed his phone over the edge of his bed, getting a hold of himself.

He needed to stick to the plan and play it cool; help her to recognize the prison bars around her and desire her own liberation without forcing it on her. Then maybe she would come to him. Rio didn’t even allow himself to think beyond that. Because if that happened, the possibilities were endless. A thought flipped through his mind as he drifted off… _what am i really willing to risk for her?_

 

******************

 

Rio sat in his car and watched Elizabeth through the window of her office. Looked like her  girls were there having lunch and he really wished she were alone. He sighed and rubbed his hand down his face. Last night had been rough. He woke up feeling heavy from faceless fears that  plagued his sleep.

His life had been much more simple before he met her. Business was booming but this pit in him that had opened up when he met her just grew and with it came more worry.

Maybe if he could just touch her it would help ease some tension. He felt pulled tight just looking at her. She shined. He had never met anyone who glowed from within like that. He watched her laugh, taking in her smile. He rarely saw it, almost never directed at him. So he took a moment to look. The juxtaposition was alarming at times. That this woman could cause such turmoil in his life and at the same time light him up with warmth with _that face._

 He turned off the ignition and readied himself. He needed to let her know he would cover the the deliveries. She wasn’t gonna like it. And now wasn’t the time to explain.

 They could talk more about it tonight.

 

***************

 

He sat atop the park picnic table, legs dangling off the side, checking things off his to do list. He loved putting those green check emojis next to his items. An idea struck him then and he started a new list:

 

  * Convince E to carry her piece



 

Rio heard her car pull up then. He would add to the list later, chuckling to himself. He loved lists.

 He watched her walk over to him, listening to the gravel crunch underneath her boots. She looked fine as hell in her black peacoat and green beret. And really he didn't think he had ever thought about a woman looking fine in a beret. But everything was flipped on its head when it came to her. He rolled his eyes inwardly as she approached.

 

“Hey,” she said, coming to stand in front of him.

 “Hey.”

 She looked unsure. Nervous. He never knew what to expect with her moods and it made him slightly feel off balance.   

 “How'd it go with my associate?”

 “Fine. hes nice.”

“He’s nice?” Rio asked with a smirk.

 “Yeah.” Beth responded. She was looking at him like she wanted to say something.

 “Good. You good?”

 “Why were you tracking my phone? Also, HOW did you even get it on there?!”

 Rio registered her anxious tone. Ok. Guess they were doing this.

 “I did it because you turned me into the feds and I wanted to keep tabs on you. Does that really surprise you?” He asked.

 “No,” she scoffed, “it’s just a little creepy. To know you were stalking me.”

“Is it?” He asked because he knew as soon as she said it that ‘creepy’ wasn’t what she thought. He could hear the hesitation in her voice. He had gotten good at reading her and the indignant tone in her voice was less than convincing.

“Yes!” she insisted, “ And how did you do it? Did you sneak into my room when I was asleep!?”

  
The corner of his mouth turned up and his eyes hooded over as he looked at her. The thought of sneaking in to Elizabeth’s room while she slept, did things to him. His gaze burned into her as he made her wait.

“Well?”

“It was done digitally.”

“How?” She persisted.

“I got a guy.”

“Of course you do,” she rolled her eyes.

“Look, I’m not proud of it.”

“You're not?”

 Rio took a deep breath in and breathed it out of his nose slowly, his eyes hopped around her face.

“Can you just talk to me for once?” her voice softened and the sound of it peeled a layer off of his guarded hesitation.

“I did what I had to do. At first. And then…,” he faltered. Suddenly he hopped off the bench and stood close to her, hands clasped in front of himself.

“And then what?” Her eyes begged him for honesty which disarmed him further.

“I was checking in. Daily. Making sure you were sticking to suburban life. I don’t know what I expected, I just knew I didn’t trust you.”

She nodded and willed him to continue. He looked away, focusing on the trees behind her.

“When I found out that trash-bag was talking’ to the feds I had all but forgotten about it. I knew your schedule anyway at that point.” he glanced at her and she was listening intently, arms still crossed in front of her.

“I wasn’t using it because i didn’t need it. But since then there's been a few times that I haven’t heard from you or I just get this thought like something could be wrong and I just check to see where you're at.”

“Why?”

He shrugged his shoulders and rolled his neck, focusing back on her.

“You do a lot of crazy things,” he said.

“Says the stalker,” she replied, her voice laced with irritation. “So you put a tracker on my phone because  you didn’t trust me. Stopped using it after you figured out my schedule and then started using it again because I’m crazy?”

He rolled his eyes. “Ya I guess that’s pretty much it.”

“Did you take it off?”

“Mmhm.”

“Ok,” she continued, “You didn’t have to get our stuff back and tell me about the phone. I appreciate that. But I can’t have you stalking me anymore. I'm not incompetent and frankly i feel violated.”

Rio was taken aback by that word. That’s not what this was. He was the one trying to help her.

“Keepin’ tabs on you ain’t  the same as stalking,” he insisted, suddenly offended.

“How is it different?” She asked

“It’s different.”

“How?! Just answer a damn question for once!” Her voice had raised a few octaves.

“I just want you safe, ok?” He said with sudden intensity, grabbing her elbow forcefully and pulling her in closer.

He felt her tremble at his touch. She looked surprised, her eyes widening and staring into his, her lips parted slightly. They stood still in front of one another, finding comfort there somehow, despite the charged conversation they were having.

“Why, though?” She asked again. Softer.

He thought about it for a second.

“Because you’re worth it.”

Beth stilled and was silent, her eyes searching his.

“What do you know about my worth?” She said at last, her voice cracking and eyes shining.

“More than you do, Darlin.” He answered without skipping a beat.

They continued to stare at each other. Her elbow rested awkwardly in his hand. He wanted to pull her into him  but instead he let his hand drop and just let the quiet envelop them.

Finally Beth broke the silence, clearing her throat.

 

“Here’s your cut,” she reached down and picked up the duffle bag at her feet.  

Rio grabbed it and tossed it on the table behind him, sitting back in the same spot he had occupied earlier. He didn’t need to count the money, but he unzipped the bag and reached into the stacks anyway.

“Are you seriously going to count it?” she asked in amusement.

“Maybe I just want to keep you here longer.”

“Like I have nothing better to do?”

“Do you?” He looked at her in mock question.

“I have four kids at home!”

Rio laughed then and stopped counting. He turned his body to her and stuck his hands in his hoodie pockets. His legs were dangled off the side like a five-year old’s. 

“Mama, I know they sleepin’ right now.”

Beth’s arms hung at her side, fingers fidgeting, as she met his amused smile.

“What are you looking at?” she asked, her eyes smiling back at him.

“I like your hat.” he said.

She huffed out a laugh and to Rio’s delight she walked closer to him. He held his breath and watched her as she closed the distance, walking right in between his hanging legs. She reached into his pockets and pulled out his hands. “Your hands look better. Did you ice them?”

“Nah. They heal quick.” His voice sounded hoarse. As soon as he breathed her in he could feel his control slip.  He had business to discuss and she smelled like damn cupcakes.

“How do you always smell like that?” He asked, squinting at her.

“What do I smell like?!” Horrified, she dropped his hands and lifted her shirt to sniff the front of it

Rio laughed and grabbed her hips. He drew her in close as he stuck his nose in its favorite spot on her neck and then wrapped his arms fully around her.

“Mmm.. like dessert.”

She chuckled as a shiver passed through her. Her arms were trapped  up against his chest. She relaxed against him and rested her chin on his shoulder.

“It’s so weird,” she sighed out.

“What.” he asked, his lips grazing the spot on her neck he refused to move from.

“Just this. You.. in my neck. Sniffing me.”

Rio huffed a laugh and kissed her neck softly. “Why is that weird?” He knew what she meant, of course, but he wanted her to keep talking.

“Because you are a dangerous criminal?” Beth stated the obvious as she smiled and closed her eyes.

“Hmph so are you,” he shot back as he began to trail kisses up her neck to her chin.  Beth’s head fell back and she moaned softly, grasping the material of his shirt in her fists. He kissed her chin dimple and pulled back. She brought her gaze  level with his.

“I am not dangerous,” Beth said.

“Yeh, that’s what I need to talk to you about...but you’re distracting me,” he told her as he stuck his nose back in her neck.

“I’m distracting you? That’s funny.”

Rio bit her softly and tightened his hold around her.

Beth moaned sweetly when she felt his teeth and her hands went to the top of his thighs. She squeezed them and Rio groaned.  She rolled her head to the side as he bit her again, harder. He needed her to make that sound again.

She moaned louder and his hands drifted down lower. He pulled her tight between his legs and the contact in thier most intimate places set him on fire.

“We are really bad at communicating.” she breathed out.

“I think we're doing just fine,” he said in between bites that were becoming increasingly urgent. She just tasted so. Damn. good.

“You are eating my neck,”  Her voice stuttered and the lack of control she was showing just spurred Rio on. “How is that communicating?”

“You taste like cupcakes, why do you taste like this,” Rio sounded like he was asking the universe, his voice laced with wonder and a tinge of desperation. His mouth had kissed its way up her neck and was nuzzling her ear.

“That feels really good,” she said softly, her sugary sweet voice was about to break Rio’s last ounce of self control.

“Yeah?” He bit her ear lobe.

“Yes,” she said as she grabbed his head and tilted it gently,  licking the shell of his ear and then biting his earlobe. “See?”

Rio growled and  stood up suddenly, grabbing her tight to keep her from stumbling..

“What are you doing?” She asked breathlessly.

He fixed his black gaze on her as he guided her backwards until she landed against a tree. Rio slowly brought his thigh  between her legs and pushed up just enough to make her breath catch.

Eyes never leaving hers, he slowly moved his mouth towards hers. He looked at her face for approval and found it, as she parted her lips and closed her eyes. He kissed her tenderly,  biting her bottom lip as he pulled back. She opened her eyes and moved back to his mouth doing the same to him. They both moved back in urgently, lips crashing and tongues colliding. The noises she was making was driving him crazy. Her little moans and mewls made him want to rip off her clothes and bury himself in her forever.

He barely registered that things were not going to plan. He was supposed to be playing it cool but now that he was tasting her all bets were off. At least for now.

Rio licked into her mouth and pushed his thigh harder between her legs. She had begun moving against him and it just felt..right. She fit against him perfectly. Like she was made for him. He wanted to tell her.

“You feel  good, Mama.” he said instead, between kisses. She just moaned and grabbed the back of his head, kissing him harder. His hands were on her sides squeezing her curves.

 

Just then Beth’s phone buzzed between them from her coat pocket. Rio pulled away from her mouth just slightly, their lips still touching but just barely. They breathed one another’s air for a few more seconds before Beth pulled back. As soon as she did Rio released her completely and that cold started to creep over him again.

“It’s Dean,” she said quietly.  Rio nodded and walked back over to the table to grab the cash, trying to tamp down the simmering rage just boiling under the surface.

 

“What. Ok. Did you take his temperature? Well do that first. No. No! I am. I’m _not.”_ Beth turned her back to Rio then and her voice dropped to a hushed tone.

“It's really none of your business, Dean. Fine. be my guest.”

 

Rio heard the beep of the phone disconnecting. He looked at her rigid posture and could see the tension coming off of her.

“Looks like you need to get home, then. I’ll see you soon yeah?”

 

“Wait!” She turned around to face him again.  “We.. we weren’t done...talking,” She said, smiling sheepishly at him.

He grinned back at her. “Maybe we should talk over the phone, we might get more accomplished.”  Rio felt raw from having had her under him and then snatched away so fast. Now that he had felt her lips on his, he wanted more. So much more. The air was thick between them, even though there was at least an 8 foot gap.

“Sorry about that,” she said, looking down at her phone. “He’s..not supposed to bother me when I am at ‘book club’ but he said that Danny is sick.”

“He doesn’t know how to deal with a sick kid by himself?” Rio asked even though he knew the answer.

“Apparently not.”

 

He ‘hmmphed’ and moved into her space again. He brushed her bangs to the side and ran his fingers down her face.

“You are just always takin’ care of everyone but yourself, isn't that right?”

“Pretty much. But that is what you are supposed to do as a mother.”

“I suppose it is. But it's always nice when you have a partner who eases the burden a bit.” He  had taken her hand and was holding her fingers in a light grasp.

“That would be nice,” She said softly, looking into Rio’s eyes.

He squeezed her hand. “You deserve that, Elizabeth.”

“Thank you.” She said as he let go of her.

“Let’s meet at your office tomorrow. Say 12:30? I’m changing things up a bit and I want your input, cool?” He asked, eyebrows raised in question.

Beth nodded yes. He nodded back and turned to go.

 

“Hey,” she called out, and he turned around walking backwards slowly. “If you ever  want to know where I am you can just call me.”

“Cool.” He shot her the smile that his mama said “ladies gonna cat-fight over” and he saw that it had the desired effect when he noticed she was fighting one, her tongue in her cheek.

 He walked to his car with renewed energy. They hadn’t exactly discussed what he intended to, but they were going in the right direction. An idea had struck him after her husband called. See, she wasn’t gonna boss up until she knew her worth. That’s why Car-man loved keeping her in that box. He was hella intimidated. Dean _knew_ what she was capable of; at least in part. He was more crafty than Rio had given him credit for. He knew that if Beth realized her worth apart from the perfectly constructed lie they had built together, that she would leave his ass in a heartbeat. Those kids would be better off with a mama who had that fight in her. Rio would know. He had a mama like that. And where there had been a huge question mark earlier, Rio now knew the next step he would take with her.

 He hoped he could sleep tonight. Tomorrow would be a big day.  

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up:   
> Flashback* Teen!Beth
> 
> Beth and Dean have it out. kinda.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *Flashback* teenage Beth dreams of a future also.. Dean still sucks.
> 
> *warning* mild mental illness/alcoholism (Beth's mom)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many thanks to my Brio bestie and beta for this ch5 EntwinedLoop :) 
> 
> my apologies for the lack of actual Brio in this chapter. There will be alot in chapter 6:) This is kinda filler. shrugs*

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

> As Beth drove home she tried to process everything that had just happened. Rio, he mentioned the fact that she’s always caring for others first. He truly didn’t know the half of it. Beth’s entire existence had been about caring for other people who either can’t or refuse to take care of themselves. Somehow he had picked up on that. He cared about her. Butterflies erupted in her chest at the thought. She felt like she was in high school again. And it was just absurd considering the circumstances in which she came to know Rio. But that’s just what it felt like lately. Every since the Dubby, really. That sweet feeling of hope and safety.
> 
>  
> 
> She had felt it before, with Dean. However, in hindsight, what he offered her all those years ago was more of a trap than a way out. Because even back then, he didn’t see her. Not really.
> 
>  
> 
> Rio told he tonight that he wanted to keep her safe and she supposed Dean had wanted that as well, In his own way. But unlike Rio, Dean had always tried to put Beth in a box. And once she was safely there.. He had tried to keep her in it. She  let her mind drift as she remembered..
> 
>  
> 
> Beth had been getting ready for her shift at Dairy Queen, a job she picked up after school  in order to keep the lights on at her house and sneak food home for Annie. It wasn’t much but it helped. The only downside was that she didn’t have time to do homework and her grades were starting to slip; her dreams of going to college and making something of herself were starting to turn into hazy vapours as she tried desperately to hang onto them.
> 
>  
> 
> “Beth! Get in here!” She heard her mother shout from her bedroom.
> 
>  
> 
> Anxiety gripped Beth’s chest. Mother usually wasn’t awake at this time. She stepped into the hallway while pinning on her nametag and took a deep breath outside of her mother’s bedroom, steeling herself.
> 
>  
> 
> “Yes, mother?” she asked as she stepped in cautiously.
> 
>  
> 
> “Where is Annie?”  Louise asked. She was laying on her back, eyes closed, half empty tumbler in her hand.
> 
>  
> 
> “She is with the Robertson’s across the street.”
> 
>  
> 
> “Why?”
> 
>  
> 
> “Oh.. well, she is playing with Gregg.”
> 
>  
> 
> “Go get her. She needs to come home.”
> 
>  
> 
> “But they are happy to have her there. Really. They will have her do her homework and will feed her dinner and I can pick her up when I get done with my shift.” Beth knew she was treading on thin ice so she had tried to sound as careful as possible.
> 
>  
> 
> “I can feed my own damn child.” Louise spit back.
> 
>  
> 
> Beth’s heart rate quickened as she thought out her next words carefully. “Of course, Mother, I just thought...since you haven’t been feeling well.. That it would be helpful for Annie to stay over there for a few hours. So you can rest.” As she spoke she walked slowly to the bed and sat down on the edge. She made her voice as soothing as possible.
> 
>  
> 
> Louise peaked an eye open and looked at her oldest, mouth twisting into a grimace.
> 
>  
> 
> Time for a distraction.
> 
>  
> 
> “How are you feeling?” Beth reached up to feel her mother’s forehead. “You feel a bit warm..may have a fever. I’ll heat you up some soup before I go, ok?”
> 
>  
> 
> Louise’s face softened a bit. “You are a good girl, Beth.”
> 
>  
> 
> Beth patted her hand as she got up to go. “I’ll be right back. You stay there and rest, now, ok?” she said in her sugar coated voice.
> 
>  
> 
> She felt a rush of relief as the crisis was averted  and then huffed in annoyance as she rushed into the kitchen to get the soup. Annie was safe with the Robertsons, and Beth shuddered to think about her being home with their mother; drunk and _awake_. She did not need the stress of that hanging over her head during her 6 hour shift.
> 
>  
> 
> Beth was beyond grateful to the Robertson’s for their kindness. They helped a lot; sometimes even keeping the 7 year old overnight and getting her to school when Beth had to work late. She wished they could adopt her, but she knew the world didn’t work like that.
> 
>  
> 
> The microwave dinged, bringing her from her thoughts. Beth put the bowl, along with some crackers and ginger ale on a tray. As she carried it down the hallway, a sadness enveloped her.
> 
> Even if her grades were good enough for a university, what about Annie? Where would she go if Beth went off to college? She imagined hiding Annie in her suitcase and keeping her hidden in a closet at the dorms.. Beth giggled to herself at the absurdity of it, burden lifting slightly. She would figure something out. She always did.
> 
>  
> 
> “Here you go, Mother.” She said softly as she kicked the door open with her foot. She looked at the figure lying on the bed, unmoving, snoring softly and rolled her eyes.
> 
>  
> 
> Beth stood there looking around the room anxiously for a place to put the tray down. Every surface was covered in clutter; pill bottles, empty glasses, trash, etc.
> 
>  
> 
> “I really need to pick up in here,” Beth quietly scolded herself for letting it get so messy. Finally, she set the tray down on the edge of the bed and cleared a spot on top of the dresser. Carrying the load into the kitchen and then coming back into the room to set up the tray.
> 
>  
> 
> “Where are you headed off to in such a hurry?” the sound of Louise’s voice startled Beth as she was about to set the tray on the dresser.
> 
>  
> 
> “You’re awake! Good.” she smiled warmly at her. “Here’s your soup.” she walked over to the bed with the tray. “I am headed to my shift. I’ll be home around 10. Can I pick anything up for you?” Beth laid the tray on her mother’s lap and stood up to go.
> 
>  
> 
> “What is this?” Louise asked, confusion marred her features as she stared down at the tray.
> 
>  
> 
> “I heated up some soup for you.”
> 
>  
> 
> “I’m not hungry.” she started to push the tray off of herself. “Where is Annie? She needs to come home.” Her voice was pinched in anger.
> 
>  
> 
> “Mother..” Beth began calmly, when suddenly the tray flew at her. She ducked down as hot soup flew at her face and all over her work clothes.
> 
>  
> 
> “GET THE HELL OUT OF MY ROOM!” Louise screamed at Beth as she scrambled out the door and slammed it shut. Beth leaned up against the wall and closed her eyes attempting to control her breathing. The skin on her face burned where the soup had flown at her. She glanced at her watch; her hands were shaking.
> 
>  
> 
> She had exactly fifteen minutes until she was supposed to clock in. It took eight to get there. Beth hated being late. She rushed to the bathroom to clean off the soup spills as best as she could  and then ran out the door. She could hear her mother softly crying when she left.
> 
>  
> 
> She would try to feed her again when she got home. Beth sent a silent prayer up to whoever was listening, to keep her mother from walking across the street and making a scene at the Robertsons.
> 
>  
> 
> This was no way to live, Beth thought. She knew it. She wanted more for herself and for Annie. But for now, she needed to survive. At least she had Ruby. And Dean. They made life a lot more bearable. She pushed all the stress to the back of her mind. It was like a superpower she had.
> 
>  
> 
> Beth smiled to herself when she remembered Dean would be stopping in with his buddies after the football game tonight. She was bummed she would have to miss the game, but at least she would get to see him.
> 
>  
> 
> She glanced at her watch again. 3:21. She hopped on her bike and headed toward town. Her skinny legs strained as she pedaled as fast as she could. She would be on time if it killed her.
> 
>  
> 
> Beth’s head was in the clouds during her shift. She thought about her mother’s sad state as she pumped soft serve with perfect curli-Q tips. She thought about Annie needing a new coat before winter as she wiped down sticky tables. And she thought about Dean’s _needs,_ as he put it, while she worked the deep fryer, dodging hot oil as best she could. All these people needed things from her.  She almost felt guilty then, when thoughts of college popped up again. But for a few minutes.. She let her mind run with it..
> 
>  
> 
> Beth wanted to go to business school. She wasn’t sure exactly what kind of business she wanted to be in, but she knew whatever it was, she would be the one to run it. She could see herself pitching ideas in a room full of important people wearing fancy looking suits. Or maybe she would be selling something.. She always broke the records for cookie sales in Journey Scouts, after all. She could even see herself running a news station like her idol, Mary Tyler Moore.
> 
>  
> 
> These seemed like impossible dreams but the thing was, Beth always thought she could be something.
> 
>  
> 
> Sure it wouldn’t be easy. But she was pretty sure she could make it happen. Somehow. She sighed wistfully while crunching up oreos into vanilla ice cream.
> 
>  
> 
> One thing was for certain, she was destined for more than making Blizzards. Not that there was anything wrong with a simple day job. Her mother should try it sometime. But Beth was just itching to be significant. Make a difference. She knew her calling was greater than the path she seemed to be on right now. She just had to keep her head in the game and out of the clouds..
> 
>  
> 
> “Hello, angel face, did you get that? I said I want extra peanuts.” a balding heavy-set man was leering at her from across the counter.
> 
>  
> 
> “Sure, you got it sir. That will be three dollars and fifty-three cents.” Beth flashed her best fake smile.
> 
>  
> 
> The man handed her a five dollar bill. “Keep the change, gorgeous.”
> 
>  
> 
>  _Ugh. gross._ Beth thought. It never ceased to amaze her how inappropriate, older men had the gall to behave towards teenage girls. She shuddered as she tried to wipe the sweaty bald head from her memory.
> 
>  
> 
> Just as she thought the night couldn’t go by any slower, she saw Dean pull up in his truck, followed by two other trucks full of boisterous football players. Beth smiled as her heart sped up in anticipation to see him.
> 
>  
> 
> They had been dating for about a year, and she really enjoyed the attention he gave her. Dean made Beth feel special. And beautiful. Sure, he was pressuring her to _seal the deal_ and as much as that bothered her, she knew it was normal for boys his age with raging hormones. She hoped he would continue to understand the delay. Beth really didn’t feel like she would be ready for...that… anytime soon.
> 
>  
> 
> “Hey Wanda, can I take my break now?” She asked her manager.
> 
>  
> 
> “Kinda bad timing, hun. You mind taking their order first?” Wanda gestured to the huge mob of letterman jacket wearing boys and cheerleaders that had just invaded the small space.
> 
>  
> 
> “Sure,” Beth agreed quietly. As she moved around the counter into the dining area, she saw Dana Johnson the head cheerleader, snuggling up to Dean and whispering in his ear. He whispered something back to her and she playfully slapped his shoulder. It made Beth feel very uncomfortable, but she was getting used to girls flirting with Dean. He always told her not to worry about it. That he only had eyes for her. Still, it made her feel small and stupid. Her cheeks burned red as she approached the table. Dana slowly moved away from Dean once she saw Beth, smiling coyly at her.
> 
>  
> 
> Beth took a deep breath and held her head high.
> 
>  
> 
> “Hi! Did you guys win?” She asked as she flashed them her million-watt smile.
> 
>  
> 
> Dean reached up and tugged her apron. “We sure did baby! Are you so proud of us?”
> 
>  
> 
> “Ya that’s awesome.” She replied smiling down at him. “Great job,” she said to the other guys at the table. They all seemed to be leering at her. Beth had a sudden thought they would eventually end up like that gross guy from earlier
> 
>  
> 
> “Damn, Dean. Your girlfriend looks hot in her uniform.” A guy named Patrick said. Beth shifted uncomfortably and looked down.
> 
>  
> 
> “Hey Beth,” another player named Dustin waggled his eyebrows at her, “I think you need a few more buttons on that top. You know. For support. We wouldn’t want any wardrobe malfunctions.”
> 
>  
> 
> “Ok ok,” Dean had the decency to stop smiling at least. “That’s enough guys.”
> 
>  
> 
> Beth glared at him  and tried to get her temper under control. She wanted to punch the guy.
> 
>  
> 
> “Hey Beth.” Dana said. The way she said Beth’s name made it sound like a swear word. She looked at the vapid cheerleader.
> 
>  
> 
> “Hi Dana! Good to see you.” Beth said, maintaining her composure as irritation continued to rise up in her chest.. “So, do you guys know what you want to order?”
> 
>  
> 
> After Beth had gotten the teams’ order in, Wanda let her go on break. She and Dean sat at their own table sharing some french fries.
> 
>  
> 
> “You should've seen it Bethie! The game was tied up and about to go into overtime.. So Jones makes a quick slant pass, and I catch it right at the 50 yard mark  and run it to the endzone in the last few seconds!” Beth raised her eyebrows and attempted to look impressed as she listened to her boyfriend go on and on about the game.
> 
>  
> 
> “You ok? You seem a little bored,” he laughed out. As if it would be the most ridiculous thing in the world if she were.
> 
>  
> 
> “No, not at all! That is really great Dean. really. I wish I could have seen it.” she smiled warmly at him and tucked her hair behind her ear.
> 
>  
> 
> She noticed Dean’s eyes go beyond her to the table where his teammates were sitting. They were laughing and carrying on loudly.
> 
>  
> 
> “Oh, did you want to get back to your friends? I should get back to work anyway..”
> 
>  
> 
> “Beth. What’s wrong?” He took hold of her hand where it lay on the table in front of them.
> 
>  
> 
> “Nothing. I’m fine.” she insisted. But he looked at her kindly, so she decided to go ahead and talk to him. “It’s just.. I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed at home, you know, with my mom. And taking care of Annie. That’s all. I can handle it. But..” she paused and took in his face to see if he was actually listening to her. He seemed to be so she continued. “I was just thinking today that I really want to go to college but I am worried about leaving Annie alone with my mom. And I’m also worried about leaving my mom. She needs a lot of help.”
> 
>  
> 
> Dean tilted his head sympathetically at her. “Bethie, it's not fair that you have to worry about this. You should be having fun with us. These are the best years of our lives!”
> 
>  
> 
> “God, I hope that’s not true,” she scoffed and pulled her hand away. “Dean. they are my family. Who else would care for them if not me? I have to. I just.. That’s why I am a little bummed today. But I don’t know. Maybe I can show Annie how to handle mom and take care of herself so that I can go make a better life for us.”
> 
>  
> 
> She was really talking to herself at this point. Dean's attention had reverted back to the table behind her where his pals were acting out the final play of the game.
> 
>  
> 
> “I should get back,” she stated quietly as she rose to go.
> 
>  
> 
> “Wait, Beth.” Dean grabbed her hand before she walked off. “I could take care of you, you know. You don’t have to worry about college. I will have the dealership and I could help Annie get a place when she is old enough. She could even come live with us, if your mom would allow it.”
> 
>  
> 
> “What you mean..like get married?” She looked at him incredulously.
> 
>  
> 
> “I know it seems a little fast, but I love you Bethie. And I just know you are going to make an amazing wife and mom someday. I would be a fool not to try and pin you down.” He said with a glint in his eye.
> 
>  
> 
> Beth blushed, flattered. Just the thought that someone wanted to take care of her for a change, filled her with a renewed hope. Maybe she could have that “American Dream” life she saw on TV.
> 
>  
> 
> And yet… an unsettling flared up in her chest as she thought about Mary Tyler Moore.. _wife and mom..only?_
> 
>  
> 
> “I want to go to college.” she stated carefully, gauging his reaction.
> 
>  
> 
> “Ok. well we can figure that out later. For now let's try to enjoy life as much as possible,” He pulled her into him where he was sitting and wrapped his arms around her. “Speaking of enjoying ourselves..” He added slyly.
> 
>  
> 
> “Dean, stop,” she said as she looked around guiltily. “Not while I’m at work.”
> 
>  
> 
> “Can I sneak in later? Please?” He pouted up at her.
> 
>  
> 
> “Ok,” she agreed. “But only to cuddle.”
> 
>  
> 
> “Ahh Beth,” He stuck his face in her middle. “You are killing me. But i’ll take whatever I can get.”
> 
>  
> 
> She disentangled herself from him, leaned down and kissed him chastely on the cheek.
> 
>  
> 
> “Goodnight, Dean.”
> 
>  
> 
> “Night.” He watched her walk off and then joined his buddies at their table.
> 
>  
> 
> Beth could hear in the vague rabble something that sounded like “She gonna put out tonight?” She rolled her eyes at the whole chiche picture.
> 
>   
> 
> 
> After work, an exhausted Beth stood at the doorway to the Robertsons, ready to collect her baby sister. After a few minutes, a bleary eyed Annie appeared rubbing her eyes.
> 
>  
> 
> “I don’t wanna go with you I wanna stay with the Robertson’s,” Annie looked up at her, pouting.
> 
>  
> 
> Tina Robertson smiled warmly at Beth and handed her Annie’s backpack. Beth smiled back, ignoring her sister.
> 
>  
> 
> “Thank you so much. Again.” she said to Tina, taking Annie’s hand.
> 
>  
> 
> “Anytime, Beth. Really. It’s never a problem. We just love having her.” She regarded Beth sympathetically. “How’s your mom doing?”
> 
>  
> 
> “She is okay, I guess. Just tired and… I think sick with something.” Embarrassment overwhelmed Beth suddenly, as well as a strange need to protect her wayward mother.
> 
>  
> 
> “Ok. well you just let me know next time you need help.” Tina touched Beth’s arm and softly squeezed. “You don’t have to do any of this alone.”
> 
>  
> 
> “Thanks again.” She said as she led Annie down the stoop. She had already dropped off her bike across the street. The two walked hand in hand towards their house and when they got to their own stoop, Beth sat down on the step and pulled Annie down with her.
> 
>  
> 
> “I wanna go inside. Tired.” Annie whined.
> 
>  
> 
> “I know, I just need to talk to you first. A big girl talk.” She perked up at that.
> 
>  
> 
> “A big girl talk? Like you do with Ruby?” Her wide eyes were fixed on Beth.
> 
>  
> 
> “Yep. exactly like with Ruby.” Beth smoothed her hand down her sister’s straight blonde hair.
> 
> She had her full attention now.
> 
>  
> 
> “You know how mommy is tired a lot?” Beth began, and Annie nodded. “Well, she isn’t just tired. She is sick, and that’s why I have to help take care of her. Pretty soon you are going to have to learn to take care of her too.”
> 
>  
> 
> “But I don’t wanna.” Annie scrunched up her nose and frowned dramatically. “Mommy is mean.”
> 
>  
> 
> “I know it sounds hard. But you know how you love to play Peter Pan with your friends?” Beth had planned this conversation out during her shift. She hoped it would go over well.
> 
>  
> 
> Annie’s face lit up and she started to nod vigorously. “Yes! I love Peter Pan!!”
> 
>  
> 
> “I know you do! So taking care of mom is kind of like that.”
> 
>  
> 
> Annie looked confused for a second. “How?”
> 
>  
> 
> Beth continued. “Well.. what happens in Peter Pan?”
> 
>  
> 
> Annie’s eyes lit up. “Awesome stuff! Peter goes into the Darlings’ playroom and then he sprinkles fairy dust on them kids and they fly suuuuppper high into the air alllllllll the way to Neverland!” Annie illustrates by flying her hand into the air.
> 
>  
> 
> “That’s right!” Beth said encouraging her. “Then what happens?”
> 
>  
> 
> “Oh then they get to Neverland and they live in a tree! And there’s lots of bad guys they have to fight!”
> 
>  
> 
> “Exactly. So living in our house is kind of like living in the tree in Neverland. Since Mommy is sick, you have to learn to take care of yourself, just like Peter. Does that make sense?” Beth tilted her head and regarded Annie seriously. Annie nodded slowly.
> 
>  
> 
> “And when Mommy is mad or scary you have to figure out how to outsmart her, just like Peter does with Captain Hook.” Beth tried to sound excited in her tone. Like it was a game. Only.. it wasn’t a game. This was their actual lives and Beth’s heart lurched at the reality of it all.
> 
>  
> 
> “So..,” Annie began, “I am Peter Pan. Mommy is Captain Hook. Who are you?”
> 
>  
> 
> “I bet you can figure it out if you use that big brain of yours,” Beth teased her and poked her forehead. Annie giggled.
> 
>  
> 
> “Hmm..” Annie squinted her eyes at her sister and scrunched up her eyebrows. The action sent a sharp feeling of affection through Beth’s heart. She really could be adorable.
> 
>  
> 
> “I know!” She said suddenly. “You are Wendy, duh!!”
> 
>  
> 
> “Yeah! Duh!” Beth laughed and hugged her. “Good job! See how clever you are? Just like Peter!”
> 
>  
> 
> Annie beamed at the praise coming from her big sister.
> 
>  
> 
> “But if you are Wendy, does that mean you have to leave?” She asked, worry tingeing her voice.
> 
>  
> 
> “Yes. I will have to leave our house in a few years. You don’t need to worry though, because before I go I am going to teach you how to survive on Neverland.”
> 
>  
> 
> “But Wendy didn’t really teach Peter,” Annie looked skeptically at Beth.
> 
>  
> 
> “Sure she did! She showed him a lot of things. And besides, it's not going to be exactly like the movie. Just similar, Ok? Like when you play with your friends. Think of this as our own version of Peter Pan. We get to make our own rules.” Annie smiled big.
> 
>  
> 
> “Yeah! Our own rules!” Beth was not surprised that the younger girl was ok with that part. “But why do you have to leave at all?” Annie asked then,  yawning suddenly. The kid needed to go to bed. Beth checked the time. It was nearly ten o'clock.
> 
>  
> 
> “I am going to have to leave for a bit so I can set up a better life for us. You have to trust me ok? It’s just you and me, Annie. We have to take care of ourselves. We have to be strong can you do that?”
> 
>  
> 
> Beth was getting tired too. She knew she was asking a lot of her sister. But she also knew the smart little girl was tough and capable. Just like Beth herself.
> 
>  
> 
> “Ok.” Annie agreed. She smiled at Beth and yawned again. “Can I go to bed now?”
> 
>  
> 
> “Yes,” Beth felt anxiety perk up in her lungs as she readied herself to go in the house. Not knowing what they were walking in on, she took a deep breath and stood up, pulling Annie with her.
> 
>  
> 
> “Let’s go see what Captain Hook is up to. Hopefully, he is sleeping.” Beth winked at her little sister, earning her another giggle. Ok. She thought. This could work.
> 
>  
> 
> She looked down at Annie. “The first adventure is  to tiptoe quietly to your room.. I think I saw Tick-Tock in the living room sleeping earlier,” Beth whispered.
> 
>  
> 
> Annie’s eyes got really big. “Ok,” she whispered back.
> 
>   
> 
> 
> ************************
> 
>   
> 
> 
> “Where were you?” Dean was sitting in the kitchen with the lights out when she came in.
> 
>  
> 
> “How’s Danny feeling?”
> 
>  
> 
> “Hes ok. Gave him some tylenol. He fell asleep about thirty minutes ago.”
> 
>  
> 
> “I'll check on him in a bit.” She said as she dropped her purse on the counter and grabbed her tumbler from where it lay on the drying mat.
> 
>  
> 
> “Beth.”
> 
>  
> 
> She ignored him in favor of pulling her bourbon down from the high cabinet and pouring at least two shots worth in her glass. She took a drink and then looked at Dean.
> 
>  
> 
> “Dean.” She replied.
> 
>  
> 
> “You were gone over an hour tonight.”
> 
>  
> 
> “That is a good observation.”
> 
>  
> 
> “C’mon, Beth.”
> 
>  
> 
> “What?” She spit at him. “Do you really want to know the details of what I was doing? Do you really?”
> 
>  
> 
> “I don’t want you seeing him any more.” Beth’s chest tightened in anger at his words.
> 
>  
> 
> “You do not get to tell me what to do.”
> 
>  
> 
> “He’s just using you! Don’t you see that?” Dean sputtered out as he stood from the table and stepped closer to where Beth was standing by the island.
> 
> Beth pointedly stepped around him, done with this conversation.
> 
>  
> 
> “You have no idea what you are talking about.” She said as she walked to her room.
> 
>  
> 
> She locked her door when she got inside and took her calendar out of the drawer. She added _R @ 12:30_  to tomorrow’s square and drew a small rose. Then she took her sharpies out of the end table drawer and colored it red. She smiled as a thrill shot through her.
> 
>  
> 
> Rio had said he wanted her input on some new changes. Although she was very curious about their meeting tomorrow, suspicion started to creep in as she thought more about  it. She replayed the intimate moments they had shared in the last few days. It was almost like a relationship was starting. It was confusing. Since when did he treat her like an equal partner?
> 
>  
> 
> In the moment, when she was with him, their attraction for one another seemed to take over, and she forgot everything else. That couldn’t be healthy. Well, nothing about her current lifestyle was healthy, if she were honest. The reality of what she was involved with suddenly loomed heavily on her. She thought about Dean’s words.
> 
>  
> 
> _He’s just using you!_
> 
>  
> 
> Beth’s heart sank a bit as she let the doubt creep in further. Why was Rio suddenly acting like this toward her? What would actually be the purpose of using her ? Just for Boland Motors? They were making a lot of money washing cash through car sales, and with the pills as well. But it still wasn’t adding up.
> 
>  
> 
> Beth remembered her conversation with Ruby earlier. She could just talk to him. He was much more open these days. Also, he had apologized for tracking her phone which was.. different. Maybe she couldn’t fully trust him yet. But she wanted to. Was it so crazy to think they could get to a place of trust?
> 
>  
> 
> In any case, she was looking forward to being included more. Beth felt like she had a lot to offer. All those years ago, she dreamed of running her own business. She had many daydreams about just what that business might entail.
> 
>  
> 
> She never imagined her business would be anything illegal, of course. But life didn’t always go as planned. She was good at this; well she was getting better. Maybe this was her calling. A life of crime. A life of danger and intrigue. A life with _him._
> 
>  
> 
> Ok now she was being a bit melodramatic.
> 
>  
> 
> It was her reality though. She thought as she looked down at the sparkling, bedazzled calendar. This was her life now. Her business. The one she always knew she could run.
> 
>  
> 
> She put her calendar away carefully, running her hands gently over the top of it like it was a prized possession. The sight of little red roses sprinkled across it sending flares of excitement through her chest.
> 
> Rio had kissed her tonight. It was intense and perfect. His lips were soft and demanding, asking so much of her yet giving her everything in return. If her phone wouldn’t have rang she doubts she would have ever stopped. 
> 
>  This lifestyle wasn’t conventional, yet as Beth lay her head on her pillow, she couldn’t help but feel like she may have finally found her purpose.
> 
>   
> 

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rio is cookin' up a plan to bring Beth deeper.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to my lovely Beta for chapter 6 Medievalraven <3
> 
>  
> 
> (Beth is wearing an outfit like this;) https://imgur.com/gallery/gveIe

Rio arrived back at the warehouse after his meeting with Elizabeth, and handed off her drop to one of his boys.

 

“Hey boss, you got a minute?” Dags asked, coming in from the back room.

 

Rio led the way into his makeshift office at the top of a rusty staircase. He sat down at his desk and yawned, leaning back and running his hands down his face.

 

“Tired?”

 

“Yeah,” He breathed out. “You?”

 

“Always,” Dags answered. “So, it's time to pull out of A&B Liquor. Feds are sniffing around. Possibly the laundromat as well.”

 

“Someone talk?” Rio asked as he pulled out some files from his desk.

 

“Could be. But my guess is they're just  gettin’ wind of the operation. Checking all the typical businesses.”

 

Rio flipped through his books, quietly looking over the numbers. He knew Turner was at least partially aware of some type of laundering going on. He didn’t know about the funny money though; and he had nothing on them, not yet. Rio made sure of that. He would be the first to know thanks to his home court advantage.

 

“We’re only washing ten grand a month there. Same as the laundromat. It ain’t worth it anymore. Make the move.”

 

“You got it. What about the dealership?” Dags rose to leave.

 

“We good there for now.” Rio replied.

 

“Alright. Get some sleep, Boss.”

 

“I will. You too.”

 

“Hey,” Rio called out when Dags was halfway down the steps. “Make sure Marco gets a nice bonus.”  

 

Marco owned the liquor store, and Rio knew there wouldn’t be an issue with him pullin’ out. Profit margins would go down, of course.  But he had made it clear before making arrangements with Marco and the others hat in a moments notice he could go into a shutdown. Rio had advised the business owners to save and capitalize on the profits during the time he was using their businesses to wash cash. These were good times for everyone. But Rio pulled out before they ever got too comfortable. It was how he was able to stay off the radar and he had a kill-proof way to erase himself from any and all ties.

 

It wouldn’t be an immediate shutdown; he would taper the amount of cash flow slowly, so as not to draw suspicion. They had already begun filtering less fake cash through there. But now that they got word of actual heat, they would pull the fake cash and use legit cash as they pulled out. It always cost him to pull out… but all of that was budgeted in. Rio was somewhat of a math whiz, after all. They didn’t keep counterfeit flowin’ once the heat came on.  Rio would need to cook the books to make it seem like they were losing business naturally. The liquor store had been on his radar for awhile, he kept it going mostly because he liked Marco.

 

Rio had begun the process of shutting down around town after he got arrested.  The only remaining businesses were the laundromat and the liquor store. He was sitting on a lot of counterfeit. It hadn’t been moving. He liked to think he was in transition. The Boland Motors deal with Elizabeth had come right at the perfect time.

 

When he  had gotten the idea to give her a bunch of cash and see what she would do with it, he had every intention of setting her free with it. Her idea  to wash the cash through the car dealership was brilliant. But, it was also risky because of the dim-wit who owned it.

 

_“No, why me?”_

 

_“I think you could be somethin”_

 

And what had transpired after that, well, he couldn’t have predicted it.  The moment he swiped her silky blue panties off the dirty bathroom floor, it hit him like a ton of bricks. He was gonna get a piece of it. He couldn’t let that dumbass take control of _his money._

 

At least, that’s what he told himself was the reason. The dull ache that stayed with him for days after told a different story.

 

And things were going ok. Elizabeth, she was good. With numbers. Organizing. Like he was, but different. She saw things he didn't and brought a new perspective to the operation. It was enlightening and he was kind of addicted to it. He was addicted to working with her in general. The Yin to his Yang.. which sounded stupid but shit like that had been poppin around in his head a lot since he met her.

 

And a partnership like that, well. There was potential there for more.

 

The success they had been having as partners, the growing trust and his need to see her blossom; it had all led him to pull the trigger on this next venture.

 

See because something new was on the horizon.

 

There was this guy, Julian. He was a big deal in Miami. His crew had somehow gotten wind of Rio’s operation, and he had been on him for a few months to go into business together.  He wasn’t sure exactly how they heard about his Canadian Operation, and in fact, it unnerved him a bit to know ears stretched that far. But somehow, word had spread that he was running cash through the greater Detroit area and that his shit was mint. He hadn’t seriously considered Julian’s offer because it seemed risky and the timing wasn’t right. Until now.

 

The job _was_ risky but simple. Move cash down south by car. Meet the players. Make the drop. Take a cut. The businesses were set to go. Firmly established and cooled down after years of legit dealings. Ready for harvest, is what Julian had said.

 

It was dangerous to widen his operation across the country like this.  Rio had dealings in Chicago, Toronto and Cleveland.. Still his territory though. The crime syndicate narrowed quite a bit once you got beyond the drug pushers. There was a harmony to the way business was handled here, and they’d all reaped the benefits.

 

Still, Rio had earned his freedom by being strategic, not greedy. Nothing stays static for long. Rio had learned to roll with it, follow his gut. Flip his game when the time came and never stay in one venture too long.

 

But to bring his business to Florida? That was a whole new game. The cartels ran things down south. Counterfeit had never been a main source there to begin with. The majority of laundering was for drugs and human trafficking. Rio didn’t get down like that. It was a big reason he was hesitant to get involved with these dudes. Yeah. it was dangerous. There was a lot of unknown factors. He needed to get down there and feel it out.

 

Thing was, he  figured his business might eventually grow enough to reach certain circles. That was the goal, right? To come up? Be the King? What would be the point if not? Where was all this going if it wasn’t growing?

 

Hearing E talk to her husband tonight was what made him decide to take the Miami deal.  He wanted her to boss up? This was the perfect opportunity.

 

He just hoped she would come with him.

 

******************************

 

Rio leaned against the doorway sipping on his fountain drink. He watched her where she sat at her desk, trying not to fluster under his gaze. She was entertaining.

 

“Yes I am aware. And are you aware, sir, that last year you sold the same models to us for at least five thousand below sticker?....... Uh huh…..Mr. Joyner, these are 2018s!”

 

She looked at Rio and rolled her eyes at his relaxed posture and intrusive gaze. He was  focused on her lips, watching them move around the words as she spoke to Mr. Whoever. He was just happy to see them again after last night.

 

“Good luck finding another dealership to buy depreciated cars that are marked up that high. I understand that...You are not going to find a better deal, sir. I personally guarantee….. be my guest.... I’ll wait to hear back. Ok have a great day!” She finished the call with a fake inflection in her voice and hung the phone up.

 

“He is trying to steamroll me!” She said exasperatedly to Rio who continued staring at her.

 

“Don’t worry. I know you got the market cornered on those mama vans.” Rio said.

 

“I’d like to think I do.  I went over all the sales margins and sticker prices at all the competing dealerships over the last three years.” Beth sighed and leaned back in her chair. “Are you going to come in or..?”

 

“I don’t know, things are pretty entertaining from this angle.”

 

She looked at him tiredly. “Fine do what you want. I brought lunch. Are you hungry?”

 

“Yeh, I could eat.” Rio answered. “What you got.”

 

“Chicken pesto paninis and fruit salad.” She said.

 

Rio clocked her almost shy expression.

 

“Aight, then. Hook it up.”

 

He sat down across from her, and watched her reach into her little purple lunchbox. She pulled out two tupperware containers. Each perfectly shaped to hold sandwiches, with mini-compartments for the fruit salad. She handed him one, along with  a plastic fork and a napkin.

 

Rio held the container in both hands and stared at it.

 

“What are you staring at?” She asked him.

 

“This is cool.”

 

“The tupperware?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“I know, right? My spacial OCD does a happy dance every time I use it.”

 

“Your what?” Rio looked at her quizzically.

 

“Spacial OCD. You know, like, when things fit in other things perfectly.” Beth said.

 

“I love that.” he said.

 

“Me too.”

 

She smiled at him and it made him feel good. Just _...great_. She was.. damn.

 

They ate their lunches quietly for a few minutes, Rio answered a few texts until he felt her eyes on him.

 

He put his phone away and met her gaze. “You made this pesto?”

 

“Yep.”

 

“It's real good. You got the olive oil ratio just right.”

 

“Thanks. Also, the herbs are fresh from my garden.” She added.

 

They continued to eat, chit-chatting about nothing in particular. Ok so he was trying to butter her up to get her to agree to the Miami job; but her pesto really was good. He wasn’t lyin.

 

After they had finished, Beth left to get them coffee and tea.  When she came back to her office, he was leaning on her desk looking out the window. She sat in her chair, pushing it out a bit and angling it towards him. Rio looked down at her and took in her outfit.

 

She was wearing a tight greyish-blue cardigan that dipped down to reveal the line of her cleavage. His gaze descended slowly to her matching pencil skirt and continued down her legs where they crossed. She was bobbing her one heeled foot up and down.

 

“You nervous or somethin’?” He asked her as his eyes moved from her foot back to her eyes.

 

She huffed out a small laugh. “No I’m not nervous.”

 

“Nah?”

 

“ _Nah_.” she teased back. “I am curious though.. What is this about?”

 

“The feds are sniffing around Detroit which means we are pulling out of most our businesses around town. Shutting down.”

 

Beth’s face fell. “Here too?” She asked.

 

Rio shook his head. “We are good here for a while.  These other places, they’ve run their course.”

 

Beth was listening intently, as she usually did when he discussed work with her. Her enthusiasm amused him to no end.  

 

“The timing is kinda perfect though because I got an opportunity to bring my operation south. To some heavy hitters.”

 

“Southern Michigan?”

 

“Miami.”

 

“Oh.”

 

“Gonna roll down there. I’ll check them out and bring some cash to wash to see how it goes.”

 

“And what do you want me to do?” She asked.

 

“I want you to come with me.”

 

Rio watched her expression change from interest to surprise before settling on pensive.

 

She chewed on her bottom lip. His heart sped up as he waited for her response, and it was a reminder that his attachment to her was just this side of hazardous.

 

“Ok. yes.” She said after a few seconds. He blew out a breath he didn’t realize he had been holding.

 

“Cool.” Rio said and smiled at her. He grabbed the arm of her chair and rolled  it closer to him. He met her huge, blue gaze as he tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.

 

Rio leaned back onto the desk again and his eyes fell halfway shut as she kicked her heel off and started rubbing her foot softly on his leg. It was a small and subtle movement, but it was enough to warm him up. Didn’t take much with her.

 

“So when do we leave,” Beth asked quietly.

 

“As soon as possible.” His voice matched her tone. The heat was building between them. It has a mind of its own, really.

 

Rio wasn’t sure how much longer he could stand there without grabbing her and laying her out on the desk.

 

“I just need a few days to get things in order here. The kids have break.”

 

He nodded.

 

“Why are you bringing me?” She asked.

 

He silently considered her for a few seconds. “This is your chance to boss up. I want your eyes and ears on this.”

 

“But what do I know about this stuff? I just started with the books and the washing...,”she trailed off looking beyond him.

 

“Oh so now you’re being modest?” He said teasingly.

 

“I just.. this sounds like.. a big job.”

 

“It is,” he said. “And you’re ready for it.”

 

“Ok.” She looked at him all wide-eyed seriousness. “But what do I do?”

 

“We’ll talk about it on the way. But basically I’m gonna introduce you as my partner. This will show them that you are legit and then you can help with the operation down there. Make some real money.”

 

“But how will they know to trust me?”

 

“Look, this dude’s been gunnin for my business for the last two months. They will do what I say. And if they won't work with you, they can find another source. Bottom line here is that we don’t need them. They need us. Cool?”

 

Beth nodded her head and was quiet again. He knew she was trying to figure out logistics.

 

“Dean gonna give you a hard time?” he asked.

 

“Probably.”

 

“I can make him think you have to go or else..” he smirked playfully.

 

“Not a bad idea,” she said, “but he may try and report a kidnapping if we play it that way. I’m probably just going to lie about where and _who_ I’m going out of town with.”

 

“Whatever you gotta do, sweetheart,”

 

“I could just ask for a divorce. Kick him out.”

 

He laughed then. “You could.”

 

Her movements against his leg had stopped and she turned to stare out the window.

 

“It's just the kids. If we got divorced I would be taking care of them all by myself,” She looked up at him and shook her head. “I’m sorry that’s... I know that isn’t your problem. I was just thinking out loud.”

 

Oh shit. She was serious.

 

“Ain’t you takin’ care of them yourself anyway?”

 

“Well not recently. Not since I started working here.”

 

“So get a nanny.”

 

“Hmm.” She said. “Nannies are not cheap.”

 

“If this deal comes through you won’t have to worry about money, Ma.”

 

He came up behind her, squeezing her shoulders  and releasing. Her head immediately fell to the side in submission, and she sighed contentedly. He took that as a cue to continue.

 

Rio rubbed her shoulders firmly, digging his thumbs into the crease  on the side of the blades. He could feel the tension there and he wanted to release it.

 

Release her.

 

‘You still love him?’ He risked asking, emboldened by the quiet familiarity between them. His hands drifted up her neck, rubbing there and then moving up to the bottom of her head. Her head fell forward then and he started back down her neck to her shoulders again.

 

“I don't even know anymore.”

 

“Hm. Might as well say no then.’”

 

She was quiet, save for a few moans and sighs. He could see right down her sweater and she was wearing a pink lace bra. What was that he said before? He didn’t like to share? He could probably reconsider that...

 

He leaned down and whispered in her ear. “I gotta go.”

 

They both stood and walked toward the doorway, Beth coming to stand in front of him.

 

“Let me know when you got things in order. You focus on that and  I’ll take care of deliveries this week.”

 

She nodded.

 

“If you need help with him...” he began.

 

“I got it covered. Thanks.”

 

Rio looked at her lips. He wanted to taste them again and thought maybe  it was on her mind as well. Her eyes darted from his black gaze to his mouth. The blinds were drawn for privacy from the rest of the dealership, the only open one led out to the lot. No one was around. Perfect opportunity for..

 

Her lips touched his gently, suddenly.. Rio’s arms went around her waist and her’s went to his face where she caressed his scruff.. He moaned into her mouth, relishing the feeling of her soft fingers.

 

It felt _intimate_.. They had had a few moments like this lately, but for some reason, the action caught him off guard. Made him feel exposed. So he grabbed onto her tighter and slid his tongue expertly against hers, like he was trying to prove something.

 

He wanted her more with each encounter. He was slippin’.

 

Rio slowly pulled apart from her and heard a soft noise of disagreement from her throat.  He let his arms drop away but leaned back in so that their noses touched.

 

He closed his eyes for a second and just breathed her in. He felt  calm when she was right up close to him like this. Like a shot of heroin or something; the effect she had on him zipping through his veins and giving him comfort.

 

“Talk soon.” He said reaching up to squeeze her hip.

 

She leaned against the door jamb and watched him walk down the hall.

 

“Oh,” he said over his shoulder, “Pack that gorgeous piece I gave you.” She was smiling when he looked back at her. He rounded the corner and quickly made his way to his car.

 

Rio had some planning to do. And he should probably get out of that office before he said to hell with the employees, and had his way with her up against that door jamb.

 

The most important thing he  needed to do right now was go see his mamá.

 

Because Rio, he had ties to Miami.

 

Familial ties.

 

And he had promised his mamá he wouldn’t go back there...but this deal was happening and she would just have to accept it.

 

He steeled himself as he dialed her number.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello friends! Thank you so much to those who are still reading this story. I wish I could update more often but it usually takes me a while to make each chapter sound good and make sense. 
> 
> I think this is a WIP but I don’t plan on it going longer than 15 chapters so is it? Idk. Lol. 
> 
> I wanted to remind everyone that this story is all about a growing relationship between Beth and Rio and the walls falling down between them in order to allow that to happen. 
> 
> The next chapter will be Rio's POV. :) 
> 
> Thank you to DropKickDisco and Anijade for being wiling to re-read chapter so many times they probably have it memorized. <3

Beth arrived home from work Wednesday night on somewhat of a high. She was tired, but had sold three vans in auction as well as two factory vehicles and on top of that, anticipation for the upcoming trip to Miami was coursing through her veins. 

All week she had been working on a plan for what she would tell Dean, opting for straight up lies and calling Annie and Ruby to get them on board to cover for her. She let Rio know she would be good to go, and he told her that they would leave Friday morning. 

Assuming the kids were asleep, she came in quietly, dropping her purse on the bench by the front door and hanging up her coat. 

The house was oddly quiet for 9pm, Dean was usually watching TV or tinkering around in the kitchen. Beth peered into the living room, seeing it was completely dark. Immediately hit with a sense of dread, she walked quickly into the kitchen noticing that it too was dark, and disturbingly spotless. Rushing to the garage she opened the door and just as she suspected, his car was gone. 

 _Where the hell are they?_ She thought, taking out her phone and quickly dialing Dean’s number. He didn’t answer so she called again, and again. Each time his phone rang, her anxiety grew more in intensity. 

“Dean what is going on? Where are you guys? Call me back.” 

After leaving the voicemail, Beth went upstairs and looked into the kids bedrooms. All their beds were made and their toys were picked up. These facts just added to her confusion.

She went to the kitchen and poured herself a drink to calm her nerves, and  started running through possible scenarios in her head, none of them adding up. She knew he wouldn’t have taken them on a trip since they had school, and Kenny’s Science Fair was coming up. 

She sat at the island staring into space, her brain going a mile a minute trying to figure out where her family could have gone. Her lifestyle wasn’t exactly family-friendly, and though her gut told her not to panic, it also told her things were not ok. 

As she got up to wash her glass, her eye caught a yellow note attached to the fridge. She walked up and grabbed it, reading it quickly as the sense of dread morphed into anger. 

 

_Beth,_

_I took the kids to my mother’s house. It’s not safe at home for them anymore. I have to do the right thing for my family. I will make sure they get to and from school and you can take some time to get your priorities straight. You can call them before school tomorrow._

_Love, Dean_

 

Beth took a few deep breaths as she set the note down on the island. She grabbed her phone and dialed Ruby.

“Hey B, you ok?” 

“He left. Dean. He took the kids and left,” she said, her neck burning with anger. 

“Like _left,_ left?” 

“Yes. Like, left a stupid condescending note, and went to his mother’s house.  The bastard! After all the shit he’s pulled...I’m...I’m so fucking pissed I can’t breathe!” 

“Damn. Ok I’ll be there in 30 I have to finish up a few things here. Just try and relax.” Ruby said calmly. 

“Thank you, it’s fine. I’m gonna hop in the shower, just use your key.” 

 

As Beth showered her brain was in hyper-mode, taking stock of facts and fleshing out the beginnings of a plan. If Dean wanted to play dirty than she would show him dirty. She couldn’t get over the nerve of him acting high and mighty after everything she had done, everything _she had risked_ to bring Boland Motors back from the dead. 

Underneath her anger, though, the familiar guilt was present. It was undeniably there; a constant niggling that needed a consistent flow of rationalizing in order to keep it at bay. It took a good amount of compartmentalization to be involved in the level of _business_ she was involved in. She realized that not everyone could do it. Hell, _she_ was barely doing it. But Dean was not innocent in this. He had been involved in criminal activity as well, and if he couldn’t hack it anymore that was fine; but he didn’t get to suddenly act out in some lame attempt at morality. 

Beth supposed it was inevitable that something had to give. She wouldn’t be able to continue on in this lifestyle with her family in tact, at least not as it was before. Especially considering her marriage had imploded way before she started “book club”. At this point, it was like trying to keep a dead person alive on a breathing machine. 

Now she just needed to figure out the best course of action for getting her kids back and handling Dean. Because father of her children or not, he had officially become a rotten egg. 

 

****************************

 

_Can you meet?_

_You got a full house tonight?_

_No, just me._

_Cool 9pm @ your’s_

 

Beth set her phone down after texting Rio, and set about getting ready for work. She planned on calling Dean at 7:15, right before the school run. 

She was still angry and definitely sad. She missed her kids like crazy, but felt supremely better after an epic cry-fest with Ruby. The best thing to come from all the processing the two had engaged in, was that the signed divorce papers she kept in her drawer for safe-keeping had made their way to the kitchen island for Dean to see. 

That was step one. 

It had been an easy decision once the fog cleared; most of her previous doubts about pulling the trigger effectively erased in lieu of his manipulative act. 

Losing her kids was literally her worst nightmare, and when she had read that note she felt the hysteria threatening to come in. Fortunately, she was just the right amount of pissed off to launch into game-plan mode. She was also the perfect amount of done with Dean, and although she had often thought she could be capable of something truly permanent to rid herself of him, she would never do that to her kids. Instead she’d settle for blackmail or another type of “handling”. 

She hoped Rio had some ideas as to how to trap Dean, or at least put him on the hook enough that he backed down from whatever stupid plan he had. The divorce papers would only fuel the fire, so she needed to have a solid step 2 in place for when he saw them and reacted. 

It had been truly ridiculous for him to assume that taking her children would somehow scare her into loving him again. Because there was no way he had only left for the kids’ safety. 

After getting ready for work, eating a piece of toast, and downing  her coffee, Beth steeled herself and dialed Dean’s number, praying one of the kids would answer. 

“Beth, hi.” She rolled her eyes at the sound of his voice before plastering on a smile for her own benefit. 

“Hey. How are the kids?” 

“Uh..they’re good. We’re doing good.”

“Great,” Beth said, a fake edge to her voice. “Can you put them on the phone please?” 

“Sure, I just...did you see my note?” Dean asked.

“Sure did.”

“Well, what do you have to say about it?”

“I think we need to have a discussion about proper forms of communication while co-parenting, but I’m sure you will get better with practice. Now, please put Kenny on the phone,” she said, her tone remaining light. 

She was trying hard to hide the fact that it felt like someone was squeezing her esophagus; she didn’t want to give Dean the satisfaction. 

After talking to her kids and assuring them she would be seeing them soon, Beth felt instantly better. They sounded fine, and happy to be at Grandma’s house. 

“Hey, so I was thinking we could go out to dinner this weekend to discuss things,” Dean said when he came back on the line. 

“Mmm...no can do,” Beth replied. “I am actually going out of town for a work thing. Leaving tomorrow, so make sure and get the kids to their sports and dance lessons. You left the extra-curricular calendar here as well as their uniforms, so you’ll need to stop at some point.” 

“ _Work_ thing…? What? You can’t just leave, Beth.” 

“I actually can, _Dean._ Also, I’m going to need you to cover the dealership while I’m gone. It will be all next week. I’ll text you Cara’s number. She only has a half-day of school now, and can pick the kids up if need be...” 

“Wait, Beth…” Dean sputtered out, but she kept going. 

“...I doubt you’ll need her though, you should be able to drop them off in the morning and be done by the time they get out. Jeffrey can close up. I just need you to be there to sign for a few things and oversee the sales…” 

“Would you stop for a second!?”

“...Wednesday is auction day so make sure you sign for the vehicles that get dropped off, and keep them separate. Joanna and Rhonda will handle it from there. Oh and Dean?” 

“What?” he said, exasperated. Beth smiled wryly. 

“Rio’s guys will be in and out of the backlot periodically. It would be in your best interest to be cordial and stay out of their way.” The thinly veiled threat was delivered in the sweetest voice she could muster. 

“Fine,” Dean said and she could hear the anger in his voice. “But this isn’t over. We need to talk about your priorities. What you’re doing is not safe for our family!” 

“We can discuss this later under more reasonable circumstances. There’s some important paperwork for you to look over and sign. It’s sitting on the island next to the kids’ stuff. I’ll call them tomorrow. Good luck!” 

Beth hung up then, feeling satisfied that she had covered everything. She ran her hand over the top of the divorce papers that she had placed purposely next to her children’s belongings, and took a deep breath. It felt surreal to be taking this step, but she knew that ultimately it was what was best for everyone. 

 

***************************

 

Work had gone by quickly which was a good thing; Beth was anxious to talk to Rio. She wasn’t expecting much from him, of course. He was big on letting her figure things out on her own, but she could always count on him for a few vague insights and certainly to tell her what _not_ to do. 

Part of her just really wanted him to know she was getting divorced. 

As confident as she currently felt in regards to her family situation, that could change in a moment depending on what Dean tried to pull. So much of it was _knowing_ she had the upper hand. He was like a shark in that he could sense when Beth was weak, and knew just when to strike. In other words, he wasn’t completely clueless especially when it came to getting his way. Being married to someone for twenty years had certain perks in that respect. 

She changed into yoga pants and a not-so-loose-fitting tshirt, and ran a brush through her hair, feeling that all too familiar rush that she was about to see him. Her attraction to Rio had hit a fever pitch after their last meeting in her office, and although she was a bit distracted by recent developments, the fact that he would be at her house in a few short hours was enough to bring that excitement rushing back. 

He was just so… much. He made her feel powerful and powerless at the same time which was remarkable. Mostly, he seemed to believe in her and that was exactly what she needed right now. Rio had a way of helping her see her capability, and she needed that to stay on top of the situation. It helped that he was a powerful man who pretty much got things done. 

Of course, since the way he went about said things was considerably different than how she would, maybe she needed to be more open-minded. It was certainly something to consider. 

Beth had been thinking a lot about the safety of her children since she found that stupid note, knowing that despite Dean’s selfish and manipulative tactics, he did have a point. The thing was, she was starting to realize that maybe the cautious, half in-half out way she had been going about things was making it _more_ dangerous for her family. 

 

Rio let himself in the kitchen right at 9pm. She looked up at him from where she sat at the island, working on her laptop.

“Hi. Thank you for coming.” 

He strolled over and sat next to her. “No problem. I was in the area.” 

“No you weren’t,” she said smiling at him.

“No, I wasn’t,” he said, smiling back. He propped his head on his hand and looked at her, his eyes hooded and warm, dipping briefly to her chest.

She heated under his gaze as per usual, and cleared her throat in an attempt to get her own body under control and back on the task at hand. 

“Do you want a drink?” she asked. 

“I’m good,” he said, looking away and clasping his hands in front of him. Beth noticed there was a distance about him tonight, despite the affectionate way he had looked at her. 

“So, Dean left last night. He uh... took the kids and left a note,” she said as she pushed the crumpled up post it in Rio’s direction. He moved it closer with his pinky staring down at it for a second and then huffing. 

“Dumbass.” 

“Yeah.”

“What’re you gonna do about it?” he asked looking at her again, chin in hand. 

“Well, I’m divorcing him,” she gestured to the signed papers. Rio’s eyebrows raised slightly and he nodded, waiting for her to continue. _Or get to the point,_ she thought. 

“I just...I was wondering if you had any ideas as to how I could, you know,” she gestured ambiguously with her hands.

“How you could…?” 

“You know… like, _handle_ him,” she said, lowering her voice unnecessarily. 

“You wanna handle your husband?” 

“Soon to be ex,” she clarified. 

“Right,” he said, the corner of his mouth turning up. 

“What? I don’t mean _handle_ him, handle him. I just want to like blackmail him or something…?”

Rio barked out a laugh at that, and shook his head in disbelief, looking thoroughly entertained. 

“What is so amusing about this? He took my kids.” 

“I’m sorry sweetheart, I’m listening. What was that about blackmail?” He was smiling widely now and Beth was getting frustrated. 

“I’m serious! I need something to hold over him so he can’t take them away again.”

He looked at her warmly as the teasing fell away from his eyes. “He ain’t takin’ shit, mama. You ain’t gotta worry.” 

Beth blinked rapidly as she looked into Rio’s eyes. It felt like an admission of protection from him, and just the thought sent heat waves rolling through her chest. She smiled slightly at him, knowing her eyes still held doubt. 

He looked away for a second as if considering something  before turning his stool towards her and scooting closer. 

“You want my help, yeah?” he asked and Beth nodded. “There’s a few ways to go about that. I can intimidate him, if you want. That won’t cost you anything. Perks of bein’ a partner and what not.” 

“What were you thinking of doing?” Beth asked. 

“Probly better you don’t know.” 

Beth chewed her lip and stared at him. 

“You trust me?” he asked her suddenly, head tilting to the side. 

Beth shrugged slightly. “I’m starting to,” she said. 

“Dean doesn’t have to be a problem,” he said.

“I don’t want him dead or… seriously injured. Again.” 

“There’s other ways to shut people up. More _litigious_ ways.  Only thing is…” he trailed off.

“What?” she asked anxiously. 

“It’s not cheap to make it happen,” he said. 

Beth breathed out defeatedly. She probably couldn’t afford whatever legal help Rio was suggesting. Especially once the divorce pushed through. She would have to come up with some other plan. Unless…

“I could offer you 60-40?” she suggested.  

“Nah, I’m good with our partnership the way it is,” Rio said. 

“Then how…?” 

He looked at her for a long moment before speaking and Beth squirmed under his gaze, wondering what he could possibly want as payment. “I just need to know you gonna commit to this Miami job. Consider it a side hustle on top of your side hustle. To pay off your legal fees.” 

“I already told you I’m on board for Miami,” she said, relieved. “It's a deal. You’ll really help me with Dean? What, do you have a high powered attorney or something?” 

“Whoa slow down. You sure about that? What if the job requires certain things you ain’t quite comfortable with yet? That’s the type of commitment I’m askin’ for. I need you to agree to do what needs to be done. We ain’t goin’ in there with no half measures.” 

“So you’re using my vulnerable position with Dean as leverage for the Miami job?” Beth asked. 

“Pretty much, yeah.” He huffed as he took in what Beth could only assume was an indignant expression on her face. Rio was manipulative in his own right, but this was a bargain she couldn’t pass up. 

“I’ll need to have something in place before we go. He is going to react badly to the divorce papers,” she said. 

“I gotchu’. He ain’t gonna do nothin’,” Rio said again and Beth realized she would just have to trust him. 

“Ok. Deal,” she said and held her hand out for him to shake. 

He kept his dark eyes on hers as he grasped her hand in his larger one, and brought it up to press a lingering kiss to her soft skin. Beth’s eyes left his to watch, hyper-aware of his gaze, and overcome with not only lust at the feel of him, but affection as well. 

She turned her hand over and ran it up the side of his face, feeling his scruff and seeing his eyes close. She leaned in and pulled him closer.

When their lips touched it was soft and hesitant. Rio stood up, pushing his stool out of the way as Beth spread her legs to accommodate him. He grasped her hair on either side of her head, tipped it back and pushed his tongue into her mouth. 

Beth moaned as his kiss grew deeper, enjoying the seeming urgency. Her hands rested on his hips and she squeezed him a few times before running them under his t-shirt and over the smooth skin of his abdomen. 

Rio hissed against her mouth and bit her bottom lip as she continued to caress his stomach. Her fingers dipped into his briefs where they peaked out just above his jeans. 

“Mmm, please don’t start somethin’ we can’t finish…” he moaned into her neck where he had been kissing her. 

“I’m not opposed to finishing,” she said breathlessly and started to unbutton his pants. Rio stepped away slightly, keeping his hands in her hair. She looked at him in question and he smiled at her, running his thumb over her kiss-swollen bottom lip. 

“I’m not either. But I gotta go,” he said, dropping his hands from her and pulling his phone out of his pocket. 

“Is everything ok?” Beth asked, remembering how he had seemed distant earlier. 

“It will be. Just runnin’ into some resistance pulling out around town. Gotta deal with some shit before we go. Nothin’ you need to be concerned about.” He finished up a text and looked at her. 

“You don’t have to treat me like I’m fragile,” Beth said. 

“I know,” he said as he ran his finger the familiar path down her face, and leaned in to press a soft kiss to the side of her lips. “Get some sleep, yeah?”

He must have seen the sadness in her eyes because he added, “You'll get your babies back, Mama.” 

 

Beth flipped the lock on the back door as soon as Rio left, moving the curtain on the door aside to watch him walk around the side of the house, hands in his pockets. She was grateful to have a more solid plan in place as far as Dean was concerned, but there were definitely more questions now, as well.

She glanced at her watch and groaned at the time, realizing she still needed to pack. They were leaving in the morning and _shit,_ she had forgotten to ask Rio what type of clothes she needed for the trip. She dialed his number and waited a bit anxiously for him to answer, hoping he wouldn’t be annoyed.

“Miss me already, huh.” 

She smiled. “I meant to ask what I should pack.”

“You know. Casual stuff, formal stuff. Bathin’ suit…”

Beth felt a slight panic at the mention of 'bathing suit' and she quickly did a mental inventory of her collection, hoping to God she had more than dumpy mom-suits. 

“That’s it?” she asked. 

“Was gonna remind you to bring those cute pjs cept’ you might get overheated wearin’ them.” 

“You think?” 

“Yeah, may wanna bring something for warmer weather,” he said. 

“What, like pj shorts?” 

“It gets pretty hot there...think less.” 

Beth bit her lip to keep her smile from expanding too far. “t-shirt?” she said teasingly. 

“Mmm... _less,”_ Rio said, his voice dipping low. 

“I think I can figure it out.” 

“I’m sure you can,” he said. “Can’t wait to see what you pick.” 

“Who said you get to see?” she teased. 

“Alright, I see how it is. Let’s pretend you didn’t have your little fingers in my pants a few minutes ago.” 

Beth laughed. "Goodnight," she said. 

"Pack those yoga pants too, yeah?" Beth looked down and felt herself flush. "Night, Darlin'."

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beth and Rio hit the road for Miami- talking and tension ensues (the good kind)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please note RATING CHANGE this story is officially rated M now. (Finally hah)
> 
> HUGE thank you to Medievalraven, Vuccijl, and DropKick for Beta'ing and reading through it I LOVE YOU GUYS

Beth padded into the kitchen, a huge yawn stretching her face and helping to wake her up. She tried to keep moving; drink some water, put the coffee on, make some toast. Because if she stopped, the silence threatened to swallow her whole. 

She missed her kids. 

Felt their absence like a hole in her soul, and she knew if she stopped to really let herself feel it, she might fall down it and not be able to get ready for the trip. Rio would be there to pick her up in an hour, and he was trusting her enough to bring her and make her a part of...whatever it was they would be doing there. Now wasn’t the time for a mental breakdown. 

He had told her he would fill her in and really, Beth was so preoccupied with her family strife that she hadn’t really been thinking about what the job might entail. Not since Dean had left with the kids. She was blocking it out to a certain degree- not quite ready to ruminate on all the ways she may have to compromise her morals. Rio told her she needed to commit, be ready to work “outside the box”. It was a lot to think about on top of what was happening personally. 

The silver lining was that criminal activities were a pretty damn good distraction. 

She had spent a few hours at the office the night before, making sure things were set for the week and that anything she didn’t want Dean getting his hands on or seeing was put in the safe she had in a hole in the wall in the storage room. That had been Rio’s idea. She had been keeping all the files for the “drug” cars and the cooked books just in case, and had the legit ones in the file cabinets up front. Also Rio’s idea. 

He was smart- she had to give him that. She would probably listen to him alot more if he wasn’t so bossy. She smiled fondly as she sipped her coffee because despite his bossiness, she liked him quite a lot. 

Every time they were together she found herself wanting to know more about him, and now that they were on a more even playing field, she was looking forward to learning some ‘tricks of the trade’ from him. Her week had been emotionally exhausting but she was definitely excited for the trip. Nervous too; going far away and not knowing exactly what to expect, was outside of her comfort zone to say the least. 

She operated in her carefully controlled world and working with Rio had skewed her regular environment and turned it on its head. It gave her a thrill to know she had been figuring things out… adapting. 

And it really made her happy that Rio seemed to notice and was giving her opportunities to expand her own enterprise. Between the three of them, Beth was the tentative leader, and she felt obligated  to protect their business and also to take every chance to make it grow. She knew Annie wasn’t exactly thrilled that she was the ‘chosen one’ as she called it; but no one could deny that with Beth in charge and making deals with Rio, they were all making money. Finally. And now, hopefully they would make even more. Maybe even enough to get them out of debt for good. Maybe even enough for that ‘honey pot’ they had talked about awhile back. 

Beth looked at the clock. Her mind had been spinning for twenty minutes straight she needed to get a move on. 

 _Door’s open_ \- she texted Rio and then got in the shower. 

Beth washed her hair with her expensive shampoo and delighted in the smell of it. She rubbed conditioner through the ends, and let it sit while she shaved and scrubbed. As she showered, she thought about Rio, and for the millionth time she wondered what exactly it was that he saw in her. She knew she had attractive qualities but it seemed like more than that.She didn’t know very much about him, but there seemed to be a dynamic operating between them that was mutually beneficial. It was maddening in its mystery. 

And the way he looked at her...

She thought about his black eyes and how they could go from sinister to sweet in a matter of seconds. How his look could be cold and calculated one minute, and warm and amused the next. The contrast he presented was absolutely striking.  She felt things for Rio that she hadn’t ever felt and that was.. Well, scary. But also exciting and… empowering. He made her feel powerful and capable and that was just plain _fun._

She did need to be careful though. This was not an easy situation by any stretch of the imagination. She had no idea where she really stood with him. She was starting to trust him, but this softness between them, the understanding and just their partnership in general, was new territory and she wasn’t sure just how to navigate it. 

After showering and moisturizing, she threw on a short black kimono and started blow drying her hair. As she was flipped upside down drying the underside, she saw familiar black chucks in the bathroom doorway. Aware that the short robe left little to the imagination she quickly righted herself and faced him wide-eyed. 

Rio leaned against the door jamb, arms crossed and tongue pushing against the corner of his mouth in what looked like an attempt to keep a straight face. Beth turned back to the mirror to finish her hair, pointedly ignoring him. She couldn’t resist glancing at him though, and saw that he was watching her work with the brush and dryer with interest. She also noticed a few times his eyes were not exactly on her head. 

When she finished she unplugged the hairdryer, picked up her brush and started to make her way to the open suitcase on her bed. 

“You’re early,” she said to him as she passed by him in the doorway. His eyes followed her and dipped into the front of her kimono. “Subtle.” 

“Thought you’d be dressed by now.” 

“That’s quite an assumption. You told me you’d be here at 7am. Its only 6:15.” 

“My bad,” he said watching her look over her packed items. 

Beth was feeling just a bit flustered having been thinking about him _in the shower,_ no less, and now here he was- the black eyes, the buzzing energy… he was just so intense sometimes. She rubbed her sweaty palms on her robe and looked at him, crossing her arms over her chest. 

“Has anyone ever told you, you have personal space issues?” she said, trying to sound exasperated but her smile ruining it. 

“Only with you, darlin’,” he said as he walked towards her. Her heart started beating faster and she felt warmth spread out from her chest into her shoulders and down her arms. It was remarkable how he affected her. 

“Lucky me,” she said with less sarcastic conviction than she intended  as he reached her. 

“Damn right, lucky you.” He filled the space between them with his deceptively strong form, the contact of their chests causing her to quickly inhale and she wondered if he could _feel_ her - he looked down where they were touching and she watched his lips part and yes...

He brought his eyes back to hers and his hands to the outside of her thighs, softly caressing them just under the edge of her robe. The heat in her body shot down low and settled right _there._ She looked at his eagle, stretched beautifully across his neck, too overwhelmed to meet his eyes. 

“Weren’t we supposed to be going somewhere?” she asked quietly. 

Rio hummed, lifting up higher under her robe, gathering the material in his hands as they rose.

“Can’t remember..,” he said. The soft graze of his hands was bringing her so close to actual _whimpering_ she had to bite her lip as goosebumps fanned out over her thighs.

He dropped the silky material and it pooled over his hands where they continued their ascent. When he reached her naked hips, he cupped them and squeezed, then moved his hands to cover her ass, pulling her flush against him. 

Beth rose to her tip-toes and gripped his shoulders, her eyes now level with his and forced to see the heated look there _._

She leaned in to kiss him, and as soon as their lips touched, he moaned and slid his tongue expertly against hers before gripping her tightly and lifting her off the ground. 

“Oop!” she squeaked out as her arms and legs wrapped around him. He crossed the room in a few strides and  pushed her body against the bedroom wall. Beth laughed breathlessly at the force of the contact and then moaned when he pressed himself against her silk-covered center. He watched her reaction like it was the most interesting thing in the world then dipped his face in close. 

“Damn, baby. How am I s’posed to concentrate on work if you prancin’ around in this?” he said into her ear, biting it and then kissing her neck down down down… he lifted her up higher to get better access to  her cleavage, his large hands gripped her thighs hard. 

_God he’s strong. I love it._

“I wasn’t… prancing…,” she said, panting. He huffed out a laugh against her chest, kissing there softly a few times and then pulling back to look at her.  his grip loosened and she started to sink back to the ground. She kissed him and he bit her lip gently before allowing her body to slowly slip back to the floor. His hands slid to her waist where his grip tightened and loosened a few times as he stared at her. 

“What?” she asked, unsure about what was happening and dizzy from it all. 

He was staring intensely at her, his head tilting almost imperceptibly. 

“We better go now or we’ll end up leavin’ tomorrow,” he said. 

Beth tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and adjusted her robe before moving away from him. 

“Ok, yeah,” she said, self-consciousness sweeping over her. She was being silly, he obviously wanted her. But she was so keyed up she was almost mad that they had stopped. 

Maybe she didn’t want him to be able to resist.. 

“You got any coffee left?”

“Mmhm, help yourself.” Beth had moved to her suitcase and was placing last minute items into it. 

“Hey,” he called out and she looked at him where he stood in the doorway.  His eyes trailed down and he lifted his chin in her direction. “Pack that.” 

Beth nodded, fighting a smile. She supposed she could end up back against that wall if she really wanted to. But he was right-they needed to leave. 

After he was gone she untied the kimono and slipped it off her body, shivering from the feeling of the material sliding across her skin and the thought of him removing it. 

She laid it on the top of the yoga pants he asked her to pack. 

 _So demanding,_ she thought as she zipped up her suitcase. 

 

*********

 

Beth rolled her suitcase and small duffle bag in to the foyer. 

“That all you got?” Rio asked, coming up behind her. 

“Yep.” She turned to face him and saw that he was holding a Boland Motors to-go cup. 

“You pack light for a chick,” he commented. 

“I think you’ll find I am quite efficient when I need to be,” she said. 

“That’s good,” he said, nodding. 

“Where’d you find that cup?” 

“In the cupboard, why?” he said. 

“That’s Dean’s.” 

Rio took a drink of his coffee and smiled. “Well, ain’t that somethin’?” 

Beth rolled her eyes and opened the front door, grabbing the handle on her suitcase.  Rio took it from her, along with her other bag and she watched as he went to the black Range Rover, moving gracefully and being helpful. Beth felt a happy little ping in her chest. Realizing she was staring, she quickly locked the door behind them and walked to the back of the vehicle where Rio was loading up her luggage. She peaked in, seeing boxes of wrapping paper and children’s toys. 

“What’s all this?” she asked. 

“That’s our product,” he said, shutting the back door. 

After they were on the road for a few minutes, Beth obscenely comfortable in the luxurious SUV she had no idea he owned, she decided to ask him all the questions that were popping off in her brain. 

“So, what’s with all the toys?” 

“A cover just in case, since we got all this unprocessed cash.” 

“How long does it take to process the cash? Wouldn’t it have been easier to bring what we already have?” 

“Easier yeh. But how you gonna explain fat stacks if we get pulled over?” 

_Duh._

Beth nodded. “What are you gonna do with all those toys when we get there?” 

“You want ‘em?” he asked. 

She laughed out. “No. We have plenty. Let's donate them or something.” 

Rio nodded. “That’s cool.” 

“So, how long does the processing take?

“Depends on if they have all the right equipment, but only a few days for the amount we are bringing to start with. They just got their processing center up and going so we may have some kinks to work out.” 

“So this is kind of like a trial run?” 

“In a way, yeah.” 

“Doesn’t really seem like you to go in blind to a situation,” she said, genuinely confused that things weren’t more set in stone. 

“I wouldn’t call it blind. It’s just one of those things where I gotta be there to make sure they have what they need.” 

“Do you know these people?” Beth asked. 

“Not really.”

“How can you trust them, then?”

“I don’t trust them. I’m goin’ with my gut. It’s gonna be good, Ma. You’ll see.” 

“So do these guys… do they want to set up their own counterfeiting business down there or are they just going to be washing for you?” 

“Both, according to Julian,” he looked over to see her questioning gaze. “My contact out there.” 

Beth nodded and sat quietly for a few moments, allowing the information to process and of course she had more questions. 

“How can you just start up your own counterfeit business, though?”

“You gotta know someone who knows what they’re doin and you need to have some starter product to mimic. The stuff from Canada is Grade A. But I been running into some issues with my connect up there for a bit now. Management had a bit of a turn over. So part of this is me shifting my business down there. Give me some options.” 

“How would the Canada connect feel about you bringing their product to be mimicked by other people?” 

Rio was quiet for a minute, rubbing his chin with his thumb and forefinger. “As long as they got a cut they would be fine with it. People are usually cool with growth as long as they still got a hand in the game.” 

“So you're planning to cut them in if all goes well?” 

“Nah,” he said and looked at her with a sly smile. 

Figures. 

“So you’re essentially starting your own thing down there,” Beth said as realization dawned on her. “This isn’t just about dealing to some people for extra cash. This is about expansion.” 

“Well yeah. It’s always about expansion.” 

“Do you plan to live down there someday?” 

Rio looked over at her then and she tried to neutralize her semi-worried expression. 

“Would you miss me if I did?” 

“I’d miss your money,” she said teasingly. 

“Cold.” 

They settled in to a comfortable silence after that, listening to music. Mostly oldies- actual oldies, like 50s and 60s- not the 80s; which is what her kids thought were “oldies”. That really annoyed Beth. When she told Rio he laughed. 

“The eighties are for sure oldies. Your kids are right.” 

“What?! That's ridiculous. Oldies are oldies! Motown, the Beatles, the Righteous Brothers… the eighties is just like, I don’t know... _eighties music.”_

“Whatever you say,” he said, lifting his hand in surrender. Beth wondered how old he actually was and she leaned over to  try and get a good look at his face. Did he have any wrinkles at all? He gave her a weird look when he noticed what she was doing. 

“How old are you?” she asked him and thought that it was probably something she should have asked _before_ she slept with him, but she supposed it was better late than never. 

He smirked but kept his eyes on the road. 

“Tell me!” She poked him in the ribs and he jerked dramatically.

“Stop I’ll crash!” he said in more of a high-pitched tone than Beth had ever heard before.  

“Oh my god are you ticklish?” Beth brought her hand close to him in a claw shape. 

“I’m serious I will literally crash,” he said leaning away from her. 

“Oh we are definitely coming back to this,” she said. “Now tell me how old you are.” 

“What was I thinkin’ subjecting myself to hours stuck in a car with you?” he said.

“Please don’t tell me you are still in your twenties.”  Beth was legitimately starting to worry now. 

“Damn you think I look that young?” 

“I don’t know! You barely have wrinkles and you just seem youthful. Maybe it's the way you dress? I don’t know.” 

“Whaddyou mean, _barely_ have wrinkles?” he asked in mock offense. 

She brought her hand up to his face and he leaned slightly towards his door again.  

“Would you stop being so spastic? God, who are you right now?” she laughed. 

“Don’t tickle me,” he said and she rolled her eyes. 

“Just right here,” she said and continued her path to his face. She softly touched where his eyes creased when he smiled. “And only when you smile. Which is basically never so I wouldn’t worry about it.”

“You make me laugh all the time… all your crazy shit i gotta deal with.”  

“Gimme a break. You love it,” she said. 

He looked at her and there were his wrinkles in all their glory. She thought they were beautiful and unfairly so. Who had beautiful wrinkles? Only Rio could pull that off. 

“It's not that bad, I guess,” he said and looked sideways at her. “But you for real need to reign in that stubborn streak.” 

“That is hilarious coming from you.” 

“I’m allowed to be. I know what works in this field.” 

“Hmmph.” 

“That’s all you gotta say?” 

“For now.” 

Rio shook his head. His lips weren’t smiling, but his eyes definitely were. Those creases were a dead giveaway. 

“So...32?” she guessed. 

He held up four fingers. 

“34?” He nodded. 

“Five years younger than you, cradle robber.” 

“So when I was going to my first dance you were probably playing with Ninja Turtles or something,” she said.

“Not exactly,” he said. 

“No? What did a ten year old Rio do for fun? Can’t imagine it was anything good,” she teased. 

“Why you assume I was a bad kid?” he said indignantly. Beth just gave him a look like ‘really’ and he laughed. 

They were quiet for a minute, Beth felt something shift with her inquiry into his past, as casual as the question had been-she knew Rio didn’t offer up personal information very easily. 

“I was helpin’ my stepfather out with his business at ten, actually,” he said. 

Beth pictured a young Rio and was instantly charmed. If his son was anything to go by, he must’ve been adorable. And it didn’t surprise her one bit that he had been interested in adult activities at a young age, he had that natural born intelligence, the scary kind. 

“What type of business was he in?” she hoped she didn’t sound too eager for more information, but she was. Very eager. 

“It wasn’t legal, I know that much. Prolly cocaine, weapons. That sorta thing. I was too young to know what they had their hands in but I’m pretty sure he was a big player. We moved away when I was 13. Never saw him after that. He was a good dude, though. Taught me a lot.” 

“Wow.” was all Beth could say. She wasn't shocked about his past, but that he had offered so much about himself to her. She had so many questions. 

“Can I ask…,” she had turned to him, lifting her legs up and curling onto the seat to get more comfortable. 

“Go ahead, Mama.” 

“Where did you live? I mean when you were with your stepdad?” 

“Miami, actually.” 

“Oh. Does he… is that why you’re…?” she said referring to their trip. 

“Nah. Like I said, I haven’t seen or talked to him in years. Could be dead for all I know.” 

Beth watched his face as he spoke. He was blinking more than normal. She could tell it was a touchy subject for him and she felt sort of honored that he was talking to her about it. 

“Don’t you wonder where he is? What he’s doing?” she asked. 

Rio didn’t say anything for a few moments and Beth feared she had pushed too much. 

“Thing is,” he began and then stopped like he wasn’t sure if he should continue. He looked over and smiled at her eagerness. Beth relaxed in to her seat- God she was so obvious. “Our mother, she...took us from him. Said he was dangerous. She ain’t happy I’m goin’ back there.” 

“Our..?” 

“I got a little sister, Denise.” Beth nodded and stayed quiet hoping he would continue. Just the simple knowledge that he was a son and a brother, added a whole new dimension to him. 

“Yeah so she trippin’ but that ain’t nothin’ new. She’s always worried about somethin’,” he said. 

“Of course. I can’t imagine if my kids were in this type of lifestyle.” 

Rio nodded. “Feel the same about Marcus. Hopin’ he’ll be the next Roberto Clemente,” he said crossing his fingers and looking over at her again. 

Beth had no idea who that was but she assumed it was a sports player. 

“Baseball,” he clarified.

“Ah.” 

Beth yawned then and curled her other leg up on the seat. 

“You should sleep if you want,” Rio said. 

She snuggled into the seat and pulled her pillow up under her head. 

“This car is nice.” 

“Yeah? You like it?” 

“Mmhm. Fancy,” she said and yawned again. “Is it yours?” 

“It is.” 

“Geez.” 

“What?” he asked 

“You’d think you were hard up for cash by the way you nickel and dime me.” 

 Rio laughed. “Nah, I’m just smart.” 

“Ok,” she said sarcastically and turned towards the window. “Night.” 

Beth felt his fingers lightly squeeze her socked foot where it rested on the seat. 

“Night.” 

 

********

 

Beth dreamed as she slept- her and Rio were on the beach and were arguing about dolphins. 

Weird, she thought as she slowly woke up and looked out the window. 

“Damn, it’s about time.” 

She looked at the clock and noted that it had been a solid two hours. She instantly blushed hoping nothing embarrassing happened while she slept. What was she thinking going on a road trip with Rio? 

“I didn’t snore did I?” She asked him. 

He smirked and covered his mouth with his hand like he was trying not to laugh. 

“Stop. Did I?” 

"Just playin', you sleep like the dead. I thought about checking your pulse a few times.” 

Thank God. 

“Where are we?” she asked, trying to decipher the scenery. 

“About half way through West Virginia,” he said. 

It was pretty; there were tree-covered mountains on all sides. Beth took out her phone to check for messages. She was typing a text back to Ruby when she started feeling a little nauseous. 

“Ugh. It’s kinda twisty, isn’t it?” 

“Well yeah we're drivin through the Appalacians. Get off your phone- that ain't gonna help.” 

“Are you ready for a break? I can drive,” Beth said. 

“I’m cool. We need to stop for gas though, do you wanna eat?” 

“Yes, let's do that,” she smiled over at him. 

 

They ended up stopping at a restaurant in downtown Charleston, the brick painted a bright green and attached to an old historic building. 

“Oh my god this is amazing pizza,” Beth said taking another bite of a slice covered in arugula. 

“It is good. Why does yours have salad all over it?” 

“Its arugula.” 

“I don’t think it belongs on pizza,” he said, devouring another slice of his classic pepperoni in one bite. 

 

******************

 

The rest of the drive went by relatively fast, Beth finding she enjoyed Rio’s company a lot. Driving across the country was like being suspended in time in a way; the burden of real lifted for a time. They were getting to know one another, Rio opening up a little more about his family and time in Miami, and Beth telling him a bit about her childhood. 

“Damn, so you basically raised her?” 

“Pretty much. There was a time when my mother was more stable, but by the time Annie was about three or four she really started to go downhill.”

“No wonder you guys are close,” he said. 

“Yes well. We have our moments. She..,” Beth stopped and looked over at him.

“She was _not_ happy when she found out about our little… rendezvous.” 

Rio smirked and Beth felt a shift in the air again. They hadn’t discussed the incident at the bar, not that they needed to. But, it happened and Beth remembered every single detail of it, even though she had been  a few bourbons deep. 

“Annie just…she already thought you were, I don’t know, favoring me or something because of the storage unit.” 

“I was. Am.” he said, glancing over at her. Beth felt the heat rise to her cheeks. 

Rio reached over and slid his hand under hers where it rested on the seat, threading his fingers with hers. Beth looked down at their joined hands and suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of peace. She had no idea what was going on between them, but there was something about his hand in hers that just felt right. 

“You good with this?” he asked, squeezing her hand. Beth nodded and squeezed him back. 

 

 

They pulled into their hotel in Charlotte around 7pm.

“You want your own room, mama?” 

“That’s not necessary,” she said and caught his smirk on the way out of the car. “I’m sure they have a room with two beds," she clarified. 

When they got into the room, Beth set her things on one of the double beds and grabbed her toiletries.. Rio had left the room to make a phone call and grab something from the corner store, so Beth took the opportunity to get in the shower first. She was dying for one even though she had already showered that  morning- road trips just had a way of making a person feel less than fresh. Not that she needed to shower _per se_ , it's not like anything was going to happen between them tonight. 

Right? 

Beth honestly had no idea what to expect. Were they supposed to be acting professional now? She shook her head at herself and carried on to the bathroom. After her shower, Beth realized she had forgotten her PJs in her suitcase. She wrapped the hotel towel around her and looked in the mirror. 

“Really,” she whispered to her reflection. The towel came just below her… um… 

She stuck her head out of the bathroom door, and saw Rio standing there, busy on his phone. He looked up at her, his gaze growing quizzical as she stood there behind the door, peeking out.

“Don’t look,” she said. 

“Oh I’m gonna look,” he said putting his phone in his back pocket and crossing his arms in front of him. 

“Ugh. Fine,” she said as she strode to her bed tugging her towel down as she walked and then scoffing when she saw it had fallen so far down her chest it was obscene. She reached her suitcase and grabbed her Pjs, chancing a look at Rio. His smile had gone, and he was watching her heatedly. He tilted his head and Beth just stood there transfixed, watching his eyes travel down the length of her body and all the way back up to her eyes. 

“ _Damn.”_ he said under his breath and Beth flushed, willing her feet to take her back to the bathroom. 

 

 

 

Later that night, Beth sat on her bed checking her messages and emails. She looked up from her phone when Rio came out of the bathroom, steam pouring out after him. He was wearing blacked out Adidas track pants, and no shirt. 

 _Really. Does he have to look so perfect?_ She thought, mildly irritated but still keyed up from earlier. 

Beth herself was freezing in the room and had on a fluffy white hoodie over her floral pjs. She sat cross legged on the edge of the bed and watched him fiddle around in his duffle bag. He pulled something out and walked over to her, sitting down next to her on the bed. 

He handed her a tiny bottle of bourbon.

“You need ice?” he asked 

“No this is fine. What are you having?” 

Rio held up his mini bottle. Tequila. 

“Ah. What are we drinking to?” she asked as she opened the lid. 

His eyes were fixed on hers and he spoke softly. “New beginnings.” 

“That’s really cheesy,” she said, matching his soft tone. 

He chuckled and shook his head. “I’m tryin’ to have a moment with you.” 

Beth held up her bottle to cheers. “Fine. to new beginnings."

He clinked his bottle against hers, and downed his tequila in one fell swoop. Beth took a drink of hers. Rio smiled at her and then his eyes moved down her body. 

“You cold or somethin’?” 

“Yes,” Beth said, shifting a bit under his gaze- hyper aware of her freshly scrubbed, naked face. 

He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear where it had fallen from her ponytail. She blinked, trying to hold eye contact. He huffed out a tiny laugh and tilted his head as he stared at her. 

“What?” she asked. 

“Nothin’,” he said, biting his top lip. His eyes traversed her face, looking for God knows what. Beth’s fingers were itching to touch him. “You look pretty.” 

Beth looked down at where her hands were resting in her lap. She felt a flush spread down her chest.

Rio got up then, walking to the AC unit and turning it up so the heater would click on. He came back and stood in front of Beth taking her hands and pulling her up. She looked up at him and his eyes never left hers as he began unzipping her hoodie. 

The back of his fingers pushed  purposely against her chest as he took his time pulling the zipper down. After, he pulled it off, and threw it on a chair behind him. He looked down at her and the corner of his mouth turned up. 

“Time for bed, mama.” 

“Are you tucking me in?” 

He smirked. “Mmhmm.” 

She was tired. All the events of the past few days had left her with a raging emotional hangover. Sleep sounded amazing. She walked to her bed and got under the covers, sticking one pillow between her legs and rolling over on her stomach. She brought her arms up under her other pillow and hugged it, watching as Rio stripped off his pants and got into his bed across from her. She blinked dumbly. _God._ She was so attracted to him; it bordered on comical. 

He laid down on his side facing her and yawned. The intimacy of it made her smile. 

“Why you smilin’?” he asked. 

“You just yawned.” 

“Yeah. I’m tired.” he said deadpan. 

“I've never seen you yawn before. Its cute.”

“It's not cute.” 

“Yes it is.” 

“Goodnight, Elizabeth,” he said and reached over to turn out the light. 

“Night.” 

 

Beth woke up to a darkened room but could see sunlight starting to pour in from the crack in the curtain. She looked at her phone. 5:05. Like clockwork.

She should have known she wouldn’t be able to sleep in. Not that they had planned to sleep the day away, but Rio had suggested they get on the road by 8. She did not need to be up, was the point. She was though, and so she sat up, facing Rio’s bed and grabbed her water bottle from the bedside table, taking a long drink. 

She looked at him reluctantly, not wanting to be intrusive but also unable to resist the urge. He was snoring softly, little puffs of air coming out of his mouth. He was on his stomach with his arm hanging off the bed, and his face squished against the pillow and still, he looked like something out of a magazine. The white sheets barely covered him, coming up low on his hips and contrasting against the skin of his exposed leg and torso. Anyone would buy those sheets if he were advertising them. 

Beth rose slowly, not wanting to disturb him. She slipped into the bathroom to freshen up. She saw Rio still sleeping peacefully when she got done, so she grabbed her hoodie and left quietly to get coffee at Starbucks next door. 

When she returned to the room Rio was still in bed but she could see movement. She set down her things and watched as he stretched and then curled into a ball. Beth sat at the little table and took out her phone, planning to do a few things while caffeinating. Her eyes shot back to Rio’s bed when he started moving again. He had flopped onto his back, the sheet falling by the wayside. Beth flushed at the sight of his lean body in black boxer-briefs. His hands went to his eyes and rubbed them and then he slung his arm over his face. 

Watching Rio wake up was quite the sight; he was so vulnerable; a state she had rarely seen him in. 

“S’that coffee?” his groggy voice filled the space. 

“Yes.. uh. I got you a cappuccino,” she said quietly. 

Rio rolled over onto his side and cradled his pillow, propping his head on his hand. 

She smiled, wanting to say something else but finding herself a bit tongue-tied at the sleepy-soft state of him

“Why you up so early?” he asked and she shrugged. 

“I just woke up on auto-pilot,” she said.

“Cmere,” he said softly. 

Beth stood up immediately, inwardly cursing her own eagerness. There was literally nothing else she would rather do than go to him. 

She sat on the bed next to where he was laying and Rio moved back to accommodate her. It was still somewhat dark in the room, the sunlight barely streaming in from the blackout curtains. 

Beth looked down at him, admiring his face and chest; allowing her eyes to roam over said areas shyly. He pulled her down next to him until they were facing one another. 

Rio lifted a hand and pushed it into her hair, combing it back with his fingers and leaving it there at the back of her head. He rubbed his fingers there softly while his eyes looked over her face. 

“Mornin’ sunshine,” he said as he rolled her onto her back and pushed his lips against hers. Beth barely had a moment to catch up when he suddenly pulled away and laid down next to her, face squished against her chest.

He wrapped his leg around her hip, situating himself tight against her. She laid still, left hand coming up to rest lightly on his forearm, as he rubbed his cheek up and down her hoodie-covered boob. 

“Mmm much better than a hotel pillow,” he said, his voice muffled against her. Beth’s breath caught as she felt him hard against her leg. He seemed content with their current position, though, and so she took a deep breath and relaxed into his hold.

“That’s it, mama. Just lay here with me. We got time.” 

Beth closed her eyes and revelled in the feel of his warm body pressed against hers. She brought her other hand to his head and caressed it through his hair gently. Rio groaned quietly and pushed himself closer to her, squeezing her side.  She looked down at his close-cropped hair as she dragged her fingernails through it. It felt downy soft, like Danny’s.

Her heart clenched in affection for him; this interesting man that had burst into her life and turned it upside down. 

He was gentle with her in these quiet moments, yet ultimately he expected a lot from her. He held her to a high standard and knew she was capable, but he also treated her like she was special. Something precious. Beth was feeling valued in a way she never really had before. 

It turned her on. A lot.

Suddenly she turned into him, flipped him onto his back, and straddled him.  She leaned over him, arms outstretched on either side of his head, and watched his expression go from startled amusement to dark intensity. She looked into his eyes and tried to convey what she was feeling for him before leaning down and kissing him.

His hands went to her hips, then quickly moved to her ass, squeezing and pushing her hard against him. They both moaned at the contact. Beth broke away, sitting up to unzip her hoodie. As she did,  Rio continued to move beneath her, pushing up against her shamelessly. 

“Keep goin’,” he said as she tossed her hoodie and let her head roll to the side, enjoying the feel of him. 

“What?” she asked as she blinked lazily at him. 

He ran his hands up under her pajama shirt, pulling it up. “Take this off too. Wanna see you.” 

Beth brought her shirt over her head and  tossed it, then brought her hands down to his hard stomach and caressed his skin there. Rio sucked in a sharp breath, hands tentatively reaching for her full breasts. He cupped them gently running his thumbs over her nipples. Beth whimpered and moaned, overcome by the reverent treatment of his  large hands. She was almost embarrassed by the sounds she was making- felt nervous to see him _seeing her,_   but when she finally looked down at him, her insecurity vanished.

Beth drank in his awestruck expression- his brows were knit together and mouth hanging open as he squeezed and fondled her. She ground down on him harder, unable to look away. 

“Fu-ck,” he stuttered out between breaths, his hands squeezing her harder. Beth leaned down and kissed him, her breasts squishing against his bare chest as his hands went back to her hips, dipping under her pants and pushing them down over her ass as far as they would go. 

“Off,” he said, squeezing her and smiling against her mouth.“Please.” 

Beth’s need for him intensified as a result of his desperate politeness. She quickly pulled off her pants, and moved back to kiss him- his hands plunging into her hair, holding her to him. 

Rio worked her mouth slowly, tongue licking her lips and dipping in and out with purpose as she moved against him, her lace panties creating a delicious friction-pressure building in her lower belly. 

He brought one of his hands from her hair, down over her ass and moved her panties to the side. He touched her wet folds softly and  rubbed gentle circles around her hole, dipping a finger in just slightly as she ground her most sensitive part against his hardness. 

“Uh…”

“Thassit, come on…,” he whispered, fingering her in a gentle but methodical rhythm as she moved against him. “You feel so soft...so wet for me.” 

His words sent her over and she buried her face in his neck just as an orgasm rolled over her like a wave- powerful and bright, the force of it made her tremble against him. 

Rio held her to him as her body came back down. He ran his fingers softly down her back and then flipped her over in her weakened state, biting her swollen bottom lip softly and moving down to bite her chin then her neck. 

Beth caressed the skin on his back as he had done, revelling in the softness of it as his hands worked in tandem with his mouth, moving down her body. She was in a euphoric daze as he cupped her breasts and mouthed her nipples, sucking and biting at them, going from gentle to frenzied and back again. 

Beth watched in awe as he ravaged her, overwhelmed by how _alive_ her body felt. 

“Mm.. my god.. These,” he looked up at her as he licked around one nipple and then bit down on it. Beth moaned and brought her hands to his head, gently urging him on. She had never experienced this type of attention there, unsurprisingly- Dean had been intimidated by them. 

Rio sat back on his knees, holding her huge breasts in his hands, more than willing to worship her in this way. He pushed them together then let them fall again. She watched his face as he played with them.

“Are you having fun with those?” Beth asked in amusement. Rio huffed and ran his thumb back and forth over her pink nipples, the sensation giving her an intense need to be filled by him. 

“I could play with your tits all day, darlin."

He lay down on his side, propping his hand on his head and letting his fingers travel down her body starting at her neck. His eyes followed their trail down between her breasts. When he reached her tummy, his hand splayed across the fullness of it, squeezing her flesh. His eyes shot back up to hers in a challenge and Beth frowned slightly. He rubbed his hand back and forth over her full middle a few times.

He had told her before that he loved her curves so she bit her lip and tamped down her burgeoning self-consciousness. 

Even in moments of intimacy he was helping her to have confidence and own who she was. He never stopped teaching her, it seemed. 

She wanted to make him feel good like that..

She turned into him, her hand going down over his briefs, squeezing him softly. He made a noise between a growl and a moan, immediately bringing his hand down on top of hers, pushing her harder against him as he kissed her. 

He thrust against their joined hands a few times before bringing her’s up to his lips, kissing her knuckles and then cradling it against his chest. 

 They were forehead to forehead breathing each other in. 

“Don’t you ...?” She started to ask him. 

“Shh..,” he snuggled up to her pulling her close and wrapping his legs and arms around her like a spider monkey. “Go back to sleep.” 

 _Ok..._ Beth thought to herself as she settled into him. Not that she wasn’t happy to do just that...

They drifted off shortly after, content in one another’s arms. 

  
  
  
  
  
  


 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I said this chapter was supposed to be a Rio POV but i changed it up... next chapter will be for sure though :)

**Author's Note:**

> Don't worry Beth is definitely going to address the whole phone tracking business :)
> 
>  
> 
> Also- I dedicate this story to EntwinedLoop because she shows me how to honor these two in their special dynamic and has helped me to grow so much as a writer. Thank you love. <3


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